Chase Young Breaks Down “The Call” After Saints’ Controversial Play

When the Saints faced the Lions at Ford Field, everyone expected a routine opening‑day showdown. What actually unfolded turned into a meme‑factory and a night‑long debate that still haunts the internet.

Early in the first quarter, Chase Young surged past the line, clipped Jared Goff and—by most accounts—forced a fumble that rolled backward. Jonas Sanker scooped it up and sprinted for what looked like a defensive touchdown, only to have the call overturned when officials declared Goff was “in a throwing motion.” The rulebook, it seems, calls that a forward pass, not a fumble.

Fans, analysts and even seasoned journalists rewound the clip frame by frame, arguing over whether the ball was a lateral or a true fumble. The controversy earned a nickname on social media: “The Call.”

Young, who was in the middle of it all, gave his thoughts the next day. “At first I thought I had knocked the ball loose,” he said with a grin. “Then the refs looked at Goff’s arm and said he was trying to throw. After 24 hours I just accepted it—what can you do? The chatter on the phone was nonstop, but it shows people are watching our defense.”

When pressed about the rule itself, Young stayed upbeat. “I try to look at the bright side,” he noted. “It put a viral video out there and gave the Saints some credibility on defense, even if the call was controversial.”

Young also weighed in on two of the league’s biggest backs. He compared the Lions’ rookie Jahmyr Gibbs—who rushed for 156 yards in Week 1—with the Colts’ veteran Derrick Henry, who posted 144 yards the following week. “They’re both great runners,” Young said. “Gibbs is quick, can accelerate. Henry is a different animal—once he gets going downhill it’s hard to stop him.”

As for the Saints’ near‑comeback, Young didn’t sugarcoat the effort. “We want wins, not moral victories,” he said. “We’ll go back to the drawing board, fix our mistakes, and get that ‘W.’”

On SI’s Saints Mailbag will continue fielding fan questions, and Young’s candid take on “The Call” is already sparking more conversation than the play itself.