(heartbeat thumping)
- [Narrator] It's January 20th, 2019.
We're at the Superdome in New Orleans,
where the Saints and Rams are in overtime,
battling for a trip to Super Bowl LIII.
Greg Zuerlein is setting up
for a 57-yard field goal attempt;
a kick that if made wins it for the Rams,
it ends the Saints' season and even worse,
it would cement one of the most controversial outcomes
in recent NFL history.
(heartbeat thumping)
To understand everything this kick represents,
we need to rewind.
(light suspense music)
Okay, hold up.
Before we focus on this team or this team or this guy,
we need to address the elephant
that just entered the Superdome;
the no-call heard 'round the world.
With one minute 49 seconds left in the fourth quarter,
things looked like this;
also a tie game, but Saints ball at the Rams 13-yard line.
New Orleans put themselves in the always enviable position
where a first down here would let them kneel down
a few times, kick a field goal as the clock expired
and pack their bags for the Super Bowl;
that without question should have happened.
Drew Brees, more on him later, looked for Tommylee Lewis.
Rams corner, Nickell Robey-Coleman, also looked for Lewis,
and more importantly did not ever look for the ball.
The corner turned the Saints wide-out
into a physics problem,
as Lewis spiraled through the air
without having any chance of catching the ball.
Rule eight, section five, article one
of the 2018 NFL rule book describes pass interference
as any act more than one-yard past the line of scrimmage
that significantly hinders an eligible player's opportunity
to catch the ball.
If you prefer something more specific,
article 2-E says you can't cut off the path of an opponent
by making contact without playing the ball.
So feel like that might apply here.
Shit, could even warrant a flag for the hit being high.
Anyway, our buddy down here in the corner just said,
"Incomplete." Nothing more.
The Saints sideline understandably couldn't believe it,
likely no one watching this could.
(tape rewinding)
That said, there's still time on the clock,
the Saints' season is not yet over,
but Saints fans right here
aren't just thinking about the pain from earlier tonight;
they're feeling something that's been building over time.
(tape rewinding)
The playoffs have not been the kindest to New Orleans.
There's an above-average sense
of what could have been with these modern Saints,
dating back to 2006; the year they got a new head coach
and a new quarterback.
Sean Payton and Drew Brees were a perfect duo from day one.
Their inaugural season in New Orleans
saw them march to the franchise's first ever
conference championship game,
just one year after going 3-13.
Then, just three years later,
they returned to the NFC championship;
this time won it, then handed Peyton Manning
his own ass on a platter in the Super Bowl.
But the next year was "Beast Quake"
and the next year was "The Catch III."
"Bountygate" followed that,
Marques Colston's questionable chicanery followed that,
then three seven-and-nine seasons seemed merciful
in comparison to Stefon Diggs making the Saints defense
look like children at the worst possible moment.
This isn't an attempt to ruin the day of Saints fans;
it's to show just how hard, how soul-crushing it can be
to try and win a Super Bowl.
The Saints have had many great teams under Payton,
but as the most important constant
approached the end of his career,
it became harder not to wonder if they should've won more;
that made the 2018 season particularly interesting
in New Orleans.
Despite the heartbreaking end to 2017,
this team displayed serious reason for optimism.
Brees' life became so much easier,
flanked by not one but two Pro Bowl running backs
from a year ago; one of which, Alvin Kamara,
took home offensive rookie of the year honors
after a statistically absurd, "I can do everything"
sort of debut.
The rookie of the year on defense,
also a Saint; Marshon Lattimore immediately headlined
a secondary so young and talented,
but tragically remembered for that.
Brees' latest go-to receiver, Michael Thomas,
was coming off a Pro Bowl season,
along with everyone else mentioned.
In the eyes of people smarter than me,
the Saints had positioned themselves nicely yet again,
but how did it translate?
Really, really well.
I hope you figured that out,
since they made the NFC Championship.
After a shocking week-one shoot-out loss to Tampa,
New Orleans rattled off a 10-game win streak,
their longest run since their Super Bowl season.
Brees seemed to break records just about every week,
but most importantly, the Saints clenched the NFC's
top-seed with one week to go.
They tried to make things fun in the divisional round
by spotting Philly 14 points in the first quarter,
but New Orleans shut them out the rest of the way
to return to the NFC Championship for the first time
since winning it all.
It's an incredible season that's at risk
of being all written off, thanks to a single non-call.
(tape rewinding)
But, no field goal is guaranteed,
especially one from 57-yards out.
The fact that the Rams are in this position,
or here at all, should not be taken for granted.
(tape rewinding)
It's mainly thanks to this beautiful whiz kid.
Sean McVay showed up in LA two years ago.
In 2017, he coached the Rams to an 11-5 season;
which already deserves to be put into context.
Remember how Payton and Brees showed up in New Orleans
and saved the day?
Well, for the pre-McVay Rams,
it had been 14 years since their last winning season.
We're talking "Greatest Show on Turf" era.
After Tom Brady zapped their dynastic potential,
coach after coach came through with similar results.
Jeff Fisher stole the spotlight of ineptitude,
but it ran far deeper than him.
While they floundered, McVay made a dramatic splash
into the coaching pool.
He worked under the elder Gruden in Tampa
before teaming up with Jay Gruden.
McVay moved on to Washington,
where he eventually reunited with Jay
and really began to move up through the ranks;
he hit offensive coordinator before he was 28 years old.
His speedy rise came as the Rams grew sick
of retreading the same names at head coach.
LA took a chance when they made McVay
the youngest head coach, not just in the league,
but in the NFL's modern era.
The Rams had watched McVay not only
guide Washington's offense into one of the leagues best,
but also helped develop Kirk Cousins
into a potential franchise QB;
the Rams needed both of those things badly.
Their offense stagnated under Fisher's watch,
a fact made more troubling after they had used
the top overall pick in 2016 on Jared Goff.
The rookie quarterback mostly looked on from the bench
in his first year, but when he managed to hit the field,
Goff just looked unprepared.
Some gambles are more necessary than others,
and while this one paid out nicely in 2017,
year two of McVay made it feel like a sure bet all along.
Their offense torched the lead;
they raced out to eight straight wins
with Goff just hurling the ball all over the place.
It helped having a runner like Todd Gurley by his side,
cranking out some monster rushing days.
Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks both had 1200-yard seasons,
which helped the Rams become the NFC's number-one offense.
They put everything on display
in a showdown with Kansas City.
In what easily became the season's best game,
Goff traded touchdown passes with Patrick Mahomes
before LA's defense managed to put the game away for good
with their second pick of the night.
Probably the sexiest win
of the Ram's impressive 13-3 season,
(tape rewinding) but we're here,
gridlocked at 23 apiece and in New Orleans,
because of a different game.
(heartbeat thudding)
These two teams met right here back in week nine.
(tape rewinding)
Both offenses quickly took control of things.
Kamara found the end zone
on the Saint's incredibly efficient first drive.
So, Gurley answered with one of his own
as the Rams moved the ball even more quickly.
Very next drive,
well, Kamara once again gave the Saints a seven-point lead.
And once again, that lead lasted
for exactly one Rams' drive.
New Orleans scored 21 straight in the second quarter,
so the Rams scored 21 straight of their own,
tying things up at 35 with 10 minutes to play in the fourth.
It felt like two heavyweights just leaning into every punch
thrown their way on a barge floating down the Mississippi.
But the Rams ran outta gas.
New Orleans kicker Will Lutz drilled a 54-yarder,
then Brees found Thomas for a 72-yard game-sealing score.
Winning the head-to-head
meant the Saints held the tiebreaker
for home-field advantage come playoff time.
But this also meant both teams had a taste of each other
and might be able to block a few punches in a rematch.
Tonight, neither offense found things as smooth as before.
They did trade blows,
with New Orleans scoring the first 13 points
and the Rams answering with 10 before halftime,
but they actually dodged punches this time.
In their first meeting, Michael Thomas had been able to do
seemingly whatever he wanted,
but back then Aqib Talib hadn't been around.
Now healthy for the playoffs,
the Rams top corner helped clamp down on the receiver
and drastically changed the flow.
Neither defense would break,
but the Saints came up especially big in the fourth.
Thanks to a couple of deep shots from Goff,
the Rams found themselves seven yards away
from taking the lead.
They chipped their way down to a 3rd and 2,
but New Orleans continued to stand firm against the run,
keeping C.J. Anderson out of the end zone
and forcing the Ram to tie things up instead.
What followed that?
Well, the bad play.
But the Saints did manage to take the lead
with a field goal with under two minutes to go.
(tape rewinding) So how'd we get here?
Well, it's finally time to talk about this guy.
Greg Zuerlein has your normal kicker story,
(tape rewinding) in that it's so not normal.
His college career began at University of Nebraska Omaha,
but after Zuerlein had been kicking there for three seasons,
they canceled the football program entirely.
He then went to the equally well-known powerhouse,
Missouri Western State University,
where he just kicked the living piss out of the ball.
Those numbers were good enough to be drafted
in the sixth round.
Like everyone else on the Rams, Zuerlein could only do
as much as a Jeff Fisher-squad allowed,
but he did manage to show-off that big leg.
As a rookie, he kicked the second longest
overtime game winner ever;
three yards shy of Sebastian Janikowski's 57-yard record.
He also drilled a field goal from 60 that year,
a mark he topped a few years later.
Once McVay came along, just like everyone else,
Zuerlein profited.
He got more chances to use that beautiful leg,
often from a long way out,
and found himself at the Pro Bowl.
A groin injury held him back a bit in 2018,
but he still proved capable of hitting from range;
including a 56-yarder before halftime
the first time the Rams visited New Orleans.
And tonight, Zuerlein's already delivered
(tape rewinding) one big kick for LA.
After the Saints were forced to leave some time
on the clock, the Rams still found themselves
in another hole.
1:41 and just one timeout left,
LA needed Goff to pick up some ground.
Starting off a bit hit or miss,
he found Woods for a nice chunk,
which put them at least in range for "Greg the Leg,"
but also forced them to use their final timeout.
They managed to inch three yards closer,
but that's all they got.
Zuerlein trotted out for a 48-yard, high-pressure kick,
which he nailed.
Obviously.
In overtime, everyone got a fresh start.
The Saints began with the ball,
which gave the refs an opportunity to say sorry
via actually calling pass interference.
Brees had the chance to march his team down for a win,
to make none of the last 30 minutes matter,
but instead...
oh buddy, what are you doing?
His first interception of the game at easily the worst time.
The Rams got the ball just shy of midfield
and picked up 15 yards,
but the Saints D didn't give up any more;
that presented LA with this chance.
(heartbeat thumping) 57-yards.
Yes, if there's any kicker in the league
you'd want trying this, it's Zuerlein,
but it's still a huge gamble.
A miss here would give the Saints the ball at their 47,
meaning they wouldn't need much
to get into field goal range themselves;
and you know Brees doesn't have a second mistake in him
if he gets another chance.
He and Payton have gotten so close
to their return to the Super Bowl,
taking everyone in the Superdome on quite the journey
as part of the process.
But for those Saints fans watching,
the freshest of wounds could potentially solidify
into one more post-season scar.
For LA though, this gamble would pay off incredibly well;
it would cement their decision
to go in a different direction as an amazing call.
Just two years removed from mediocrity
being the best case scenario, the Rams aggressive nature
makes this feel like the only way.
(heartbeat thumping) 57 yards out,
a trip to the Super Bowl on the line;
welcome to a moment in history.
- [Sports Announcer] Bad snap.
The kick is...
good!
(crowd cheering) Rams win it
and on to Super Bowl LIII they go.
(crowd cheering)
(TV powering off)