WATCH: Juwan Johnson fights for a rare opening-drive Saints touchdown
Juwan Johnson with his 6th TD of the season on a 19-yd strike from Andy Dalton!! 👏#ATLvsNO | 📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/iu96dcjdUr
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 18, 2022
Take a bow, Juwan Johnson. The New Orleans Saints tight end returned from an ankle injury and immediately made a splash — he caught a 14-yard reception on their first third-down situation against the Atlanta Falcons, and capped that drive with a high-effort touchdown reception.
Johnson caught a short pass from Andy Dalton underneath the Falcons defense deep in their own territory and rumbled upfield, fighting through contact for extra yards. And with the end zone in sight, he dove forward with a long arm stretched out ahead to get the ball across the goal line.
He was initially marked short, putting the Saints offense at the 1-yard line. But a quick challenge flag thrown by Dennis Allen put the play under review, and an even quicker second look gave Johnson the score. It was just the third opening-drive touchdown the Saints offense has scored in their last 31 games, and it wouldn’t have happened without Johnson fighting for it. Let’s see how many more game-changing plays he has in him.
