The Call: Chase Young Breaks Down the Saints’ Controversial Play

When you hear New Orleans fans muttering about “The Call,” you know you’ve stumbled onto one of those moments that lives forever on internet forums, late‑night podcasts and, of course, Twitter threads that never quite die. It all started in the first half of Week 1, when the Saints’ rookie edge rusher Chase Young barreled into Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, knocked the ball loose, and watched teammate Jonas Sanker sprint toward the end zone as if it were a game‑winning sprint. The crowd roared. Then the replay screen flashed, the officials huddled, and—voilà—​the touchdown was erased because they decided Goff had “the intent to throw.”

The backlash was instant. Fans called the officials “crooked zebras,” analysts debated the fumble‑vs‑lateral rule, and even veteran journalists confessed they still weren’t sure how the call was made. Amid the swirl, the Saints’ own Chase Young—still a fresh face in the league—gave his perspective, and it’s worth a read.

“At first I thought I’d actually gotten the ball out,” Young told SI’s Doug Joubert with a grin. “They looked at it and saw forward motion from Goff’s arm. In the 24‑hour rule, that’s over with.” He added that his phone was blowing up with messages, but he tried to keep his cool. “It is what it is,” he said, “and it shows our defense can make big plays.”

When pressed about the rule itself, Young kept his tone surprisingly upbeat. “I try to look at the bright side, man,” he said. “We’ve got a viral video of a great defense and the Saints, even if it didn’t end in a score.” The optimism felt genuine—a rookie’s way of turning a disappointment into motivation.

Beyond the call, the interview drifted to the Lions’ ground game. In that same week, rookie Jahmyr Gibbs thundered for 156 rushing yards, while veteran Derrick Henry piled up 144 yards against the Colts in Baltimore. Young was asked to compare the two power backs. “They’re both great runners, no doubt,” he answered, “but they’re different. Jahmyr can accelerate quickly and get to the edge. Henry, once he’s downhill, is a force of nature—you can’t stop him.”

As for the Saints’ near‑comeback—​they erased a three‑touchdown hole to fall just one point short—​Young was blunt. “We want the win, not a moral victory,” he said. “We go back to the drawing board, study the mistakes, and fix them.” It’s a no‑nonsense mantra that resonates with a team still shaping its identity.

The “Call” may have been overturned, but its impact lingers. It sparked a league‑wide conversation about how intent is judged on the field, and it gave a rookie like Chase Young a platform to show his poise under pressure. Whether the Saints can turn that chatter into a win next week remains to be seen, but at least they have a young leader who can keep his head when the cameras are flashing.