The 10 Most Impactful Plays of Week 9
4. The Saints (Defense) Go Marching In
Win Probability Added: +12.80
NEP: +6.90
It’s been a rougher season for New Orleans Saints fans, I’m sure: yet another year of watching quarterback Drew Brees work impossible magic, only to be undone by a defense that makes the protective power of Swiss cheese look like Fort Knox. But even defenses that use the tactical plans of the Maginot Line sometimes strike gold, and that’s what happened for New Orleans in Week 9.
It’s not that hard to trip up the San Francisco 49ers’ offense, fortunately, and quarterback Colin Kaepernick obliged the Saints in this one. Late in the first quarter of the game, Kaepernick had the 49ers at midfield, looking to retake the lead. With four wide receivers, he stared down slot man Jeremy Kerley and rifled the ball in on a medium slant. Linebacker Craig Robertson had the play the whole way, though, snagging the ball out of the air and running it back to the 49ers’ 25-yard line. To add insult to injury, the Niners were called on a horse-collar tackle on Robertson, making it a 12-yard field for Brees and the offense.
