The New Orleans Saints lost by four points to the Miami Dolphins, and the impact of Minkah Fitzpatrick’s interception on the two point conversion may be slightly understated. Fitzpatrick picking off Tyler Shough is viewed as a huge play, as it stopped the Saints from tying the game, but the interception is the second biggest part of that play.
Fitzpatrick may have ended the Saints hopes of tying the game, but the return drastically changed their route to victory. Instead of needing a field goal to win, Tyler Shough had to lead yet another last minute touchdown drive.
In the moment, Fitzpatrick scoring felt like adding insult to injury, a swift dashing of the brief hope built from what felt like a game-tying drive. Once the Saints recovered the onside kick, the true impact of that play was revealed.
The legend of Charlie Smyth and Tyler Shough almost grew exponentially Sunday
The Saints were going to have to kick an onside kick regardless once they didn’t get the two point conversion. Onside kicks always feel improbable, but Smyth successfully converted his first attempt.
Now imagine if Smyth would have made the game winner. That would have meant he would have made the Saints’ longest field goal of the season, had a successful onside kick and made the game winner in his first game.
The first two actually happened, and the latter is an unknown. What we do know is the drive ended on the Miami 36-yard line. That’s well within Smyth’s range. With all the heat surrounding Blake Grupe this year, that would have been an endearing debut for the International Pathways player.
It would have also built on Tyler Shough’s early legacy. He didn’t have to go far to get the Saints into field goal position, but he did get 19 yards on two passes. He delivered a game winning pass to Chris Olave, but it fell incomplete. Shough helping lead the Saints to victory in that dramatic fashion would have only built him up more.
Unfortunately, this all became hypothetical once Fitzpatrick turned a 2 point game into a 4 point game. Saints fans are now left to wonder what could have been.