VIDEO: Saints QB Derek Carr Calls Game-Sealing Rashid Shaheed Deep Ball In Week 1 Victory Over Titans

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The New Orleans Saints defeated the Tennessee Titans 16-15 on Sunday. The win represented the first victory for quarterback Derek Carr in a Saints uniform after nine seasons with the Raiders. Carr and the Saints ran a risky but successful go route to Rashid Shaheed just after the two-minute warning.

The Tennessee Titans and head coach Mike Vrabel made a very questionable decision to kick a field goal with just over two minutes left in the game down by four points. Rather than go for a fourth-and-6, the Titans cut the deficit to one point.

They counted on stopping the Saints offense, getting the ball back, driving into field goal range again and kicking a game-winner.

But they failed in part one of their four-part plan. Following a penalty, the Saints faced first-and-15. It looked like Vrabel's plan was going to work. New Orleans gained 1 yard on first down and 8 yards on second down. That brought up a third-and-6.

Rashid Shaheed of the New Orleans Saints celebrates with Derek Carr after Shaheed's touchdown reception during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Caesars Superdome on September 10, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Rashid Shaheed of the New Orleans Saints celebrates with Derek Carr after Shaheed's touchdown reception during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Caesars Superdome on September 10, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Knowing that Tennessee was going to heavily guard the first down, Saints quarterback Derek Carr decided to try something they wouldn't expect.

He told his coaches that he wanted to run a deep ball to second-year UDFA Rashid Shaheed. To which backup quarterback Jameis Winston -- who was sitting next to Carr -- emphatically responded, "YES!"

Then, Carr told Shaheed about the plan. The quarterback's message to the young wideout was simple: "Freaking run. Run."

NFL Films caught all of the exchanges on camera and with microphones and it's quite enjoyable to watch the behind-the-scenes on what turned out to be, effectively, a game-winning play.

That conversion set the Saints up to win the game. Which, they did. Ultimately, they gained another first down before taking a knee to run out the clock.

Though, even if they didn't gain another first down, they were deep in field goal range and Tennessee had less than a minute remaining and no timeouts.

It was a big win for New Orleans and Derek Carr, and really cool to watch the whole thing come together.

More of this content, NFL, please.

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to Outkick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named “Brady” because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.