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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
John Sigler

Brandin Cooks’ 65-yard TD catch is the Saints Play of the Day

We’re down to 65 days until the New Orleans Saints launch their 2024 regular season, and Brandin Cooks’ 65-yard touchdown catch against the Arizona Cardinals in 2016 is the Saints Play of the Day. Drew Brees bought some time to read the field after faking a handoff to running back Tim Hightower, and he found a mismatch with Cooks matched up against Cardinals safety D.J. Swearinger (who would later play for the Saints).

Cooks put Swearinger in a bad spot by looking to the sideline, disguising his intentions. With several yards of separation between his receiver and the defender, Brees let it rip and hit Cooks in stride, and at that point it became a footrace Swearinger had no hope of winning.

It was the first of two touchdown passes Brees would throw to Cooks on the day, with the speedy wideout amassing 7 receptions for 186 yards by the end of the afternoon. Brees totaled 389 passing yards with four touchdowns, without an interception. The only negative about the proceedings was how rough a time the Saints defense had in maintaining the pace — for all that scoring by Brees and the New Orleans offense, they only won this game by a margin of 48-41.

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