There are only 46 days remaining to the New Orleans Saints season opener against the division rival Carolina Panthers. With that, we continue our play of the day countdown to their Week 1 kickoff with today’s play, a 46-yard reception from Jared Cook against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers which you can see here. In Tom Brady’s first game as a Buccaneer, against the Saints in the Superdome, it would be New Orleans stealing the spotlight.
Jared Cook had a phenomenal night to start off the year, with 5 receptions for 80 yards. His 46-yard reception in the fourth quarter came at a great time however, with 14 minutes left Cook would get open on the left sideline over Jamel Dean, and Drew Brees would put it up above them both where only Cook could get hands on it. The throw was good enough to allow Cook to run for another 11 yards before being pushed out of bounds, rather than forcing him to go up and get it.
This throw and catch wound up being crucial for the Saints’ start to the season, as they would end the drive with a touchdown to Emmanuel Sanders. This set them up at 31-17 over the Buccaneers, and the next play would be the line drive kickoff by Thomas Morstead which resulted in a Buccaneers muff and recovery by Bennie Fowler. This ultimately ended any chance the Buccaneers had in the game, and gave the Saints their first win against the Brady-led Buccaneers squad, a common occurrence over the next few seasons.
