Keith Poole's 82-yard touchdown catch is the Saints Play of the Day

Our countdown to the New Orleans Saints' 2026 regular season opener is on Day 82, which makes this 82-yard catch by Keith Poole or choice for the Saints Play of the Day. It wasn't enough to win the day, but it did close the gap on the scoreboard and give Saints fans in attendance something to cheer for before the final whistle. You can see it for yourself here.

As was often the case in this rivalry series, it went back and forth throughout the first three quarters with both teams trading body blows, it wasn't until the Falcons scored back-to-back touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one off a defensive interception return, that Atlanta finally pulled away. Until that point the lead had changed hands three times, with New Orleans going into the fourth quarter trailing by a single point.

And Poole gave the Falcons a scare on this 82-yard touchdown catch. He had already scored from 64 yards earlier in the second quarter, and this gave the Saints an opportunity to further cut into Atlanta's lead. It wasn't an opportunity they could capitalize on, however, and New Orleans fell 31-23. But at least their year didn't end in infamy like Atlanta. The Falcons made it all the way to Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami and lost to John Elway's Denver Broncos, a 34-19 embarrassment that was never really close. Ironically, the Saints would later play for a Super Bowl championship on that same field, and they showed Atlanta how to get the job done. The dirty birds still haven't figured it out.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Keith Poole's 82-yard touchdown catch is the Saints Play of the Day