Chase Young's strip sack of Cam Ward was critical to the New Orleans Saints' fourth consecutive victory and was arguably the best defensive play of the season.
Young's sack was, without a doubt, the best defensive play of the game. What sets it apart from other plays was the pure shock value. It's the Saints' third defensive score this year, but none of the plays looked like that.
If you could get half a sack for assisting on the play, Granderson would have secured his just due. Young ran the arc and relentlessly pursued Ward, but it was Granderson's pressure that flushed Ward to Young. Young ripped the ball away from Ward. It was so effortless you never saw it happen. One second, Young is bringing down the quarterback and the next Young is running with the football.
Chase Young's TD saved this game from getting out out hand
The Saints didn't win the game by seven points, but that seven point swing absolutely changed the game. New Orleans came out of the gate struggling on both sides of the ball. The offense started slow. Though Tyler Shough was efficient, it didn't result in points.
Defensively, the Saints couldn't get buy a stop. After forcing a punt on the game's opening drive, the Saints allowed the Titans to drive down the field for three straight scoring drives, fueled by explosive plays. It was 13-0 before the Saints put any points on the board.
After the Saints narrowed the gap slightly with a field goal, Young caused a strip sack that he took back to the end zone and put the Saints behind by just three points. The Titans scored on the following drive. The way the game had been going, the only thing that stopped the Titans from scoring was the fumble. 20-3 looks a lot different than 20-10.
While it was still a 10 point deficit going into halftime, that's a margin that felt surmountable. It's hard to label the impact of Young's touchdown in one word. It wasn't the turning point, but it was a moment that kept the game in reach when both sides of the ball were struggling