Samson Nacua had his preseason moment and then it disappeared in an instant.
The 26-year-old wide receiver authored an incredible return of a missed field goal during the New Orleans Saints preseason matchup with the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. After weaving his way through what felt like the Titans' entire roster and covering 106 yards, Nacua dove for the end zone. There was just one problem: He stepped out of bounds at the 3-yard line.
The play occurred with four seconds remaining in the first half. The Titans faced first-and-10 at New Orleans' 40-yard line. Tennessee decided to allow kicker Brayden Narveson to attempt a 58-yard field goal. The Saints positioned Nacua in the end zone in case the kick was short. It was.
Nacua caught the ball nine yards deep in the end zone and immediately raced upfield. He got some good blocks, broke a few tackles, and made several nice moves until he was streaking toward the right pylon. As he approached it he allowed his foot to hit the sideline before diving for the goal line.
He stepped out at the 3-yard line and the time on the clock had expired so the Saints couldn't take advantage of his work.
Video is below.
Omg Samson Nacua nearly took it 107 yards, but stepped out at the 3 pic.twitter.com/0WkHZnoZAM
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) August 25, 2024
Cut it back Samson!
That's going to be a rough watch for Nacua in film this week. He did all that work and came up short.
Nacua is the older brother of Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua. He's trying to make the Saints' roster and that play could certainly help his case.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Puca Nacua’s Brother, Samson, Makes Case for Roster Spot With 106-Yard Runback.
