Malcolm Jenkins' clutch fumble recovery in 2010 is the Saints Play of Day 47

Shout out to Malcolm Jenkins for some of the greatest hustle plays in New Orleans Saints history. The Dallas Cowboys gained 47 yards on this grab-and-go pass from Jon Kitna to Roy Williams back in 2010, but Jenkins saved a touchdown — and likely the win — by hurrying to make a play in a gotta-have-it situation on Thanksgiving Day. That makes it our Saints Play of the Day as we count down to kickoff, with 47 days to go until the Saints host the Carolina Panthers in Week 1.

The Saints were trailing 27-23 late in the fourth quarter when Williams found space in the Saints secondary; Kitna threw a dart, and then it was off to the races. Williams had a step on Tracy Porter but Jenkins closed the gap quickly, meeting the Cowboys receiver at the New Orleans 11-yard line. A tackle would’ve been enough, but Jenkins did even more. He stripped the ball from Williams’ hands and recovered the fumble in one of the biggest plays of the season.

And Drew Brees didn’t waste that opportunity. He got out of the Saints’ own red zone with a 22-yard pass to Marques Colston, and then flipped the field on an impressive 55-yard lob to Robert Meachem. Lance Moore caught his next pass, scoring the go-ahead touchdown, and the Saints never looked back. Dallas’ final possession ended with a missed field goal from 59 yards, and then all it took was for Brees to kneel out the clock.

But things could have gone very differently if Jenkins didn’t wrestle the ball out of Williams’ hands. If he had scored or even set up the Cowboys offense to drain the clock themselves, New Orleans probably doesn’t win this one. That Jenkins came through in such a big spot with all of America watching is commendable.