We’re spinning the calendar back to 2012 for our countdown to the New Orleans Saints’ 2025 season opener. Chris Ivory stunned the Atlanta Falcons and rallied his team back from a double-digit deficit on this 56-day touchdown run, an easy choice for the Saints Play of the Day. You can watch it for yourself right here.
It was a memorable highlight in a season that could use it. The Saints struggled mightily in 2012 between Steve Spagnuolo’s historically-bad defense and Sean Payton’s yearlong suspension, but this big play against their biggest rival won a lot of attention. And that’s when the fireworks started. All-time great tight ends Jimmy Graham and Tony Gonzales traded touchdown catches, and Drew Brees threw another score to Marques Colston to take the lead. Spags’ defense finally found its footing and stopped the Falcons twice on fourth down to close out the game. The Saints won it in the end, 31-27, giving them a fighting chance for the back half of their schedule
Ivory’s time with the Saints ended up being brief. He only appeared in 24 games through three years before moving on to the New York Jets, where he played 46 games in the next three years, and he spent another two years with the Jacksonville Jaguars before closing out his career on the Buffalo Bills in 2018. Even if he didn’t last in New Orleans, he made some great memories.