We’re on Day 73 in our countdown to the New Orleans Saints‘ 2025 regular season opener, and our pick for the Saints Play of the Day is this 73-yard run from Craig Heyward. “Iron Head” was known for his hard running and gutsy first down conversions, but not so much for the big plays. So this stands out as one of the brighter highlights of his storied NFL career.
The Saints had scored first against the Los Angeles Raiders with a 51-yard Morten Andersen field goal, but the Raiders retook the lead with an 85-yard touchdown pass of their own. Then it was Heyward’s turn to punch back. And he nearly covered as much ground on his own, which you can see here.
Advertisement
Heyward was hit at the line of scrimmage and kept his feet churning, fighting through contact to spin around the mass of bodies. He was nearly dragged down after a few yards but managed to keep his balance and slip through the Raiders secondary, sprinting all the way to the end zone with his teammates cheering him on.
That isn’t a bad way to start your NFL career. Heyward had been drafted by the Saints just months earlier in 1988, and he quickly established himself as one of the toughest players in the NFL. His sons Cameron and Connor have gone on to find success in pro football themselves, but there’s quite a few Saints fans who still remember No. 34’s career fondly.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: ‘Iron Head’ Craig Heyward’s 73-yard TD is the Saints Play of the Day