Derek Carr passed to Rashid Shaheed for the game's only touchdown and New Orleans intercepted Ryan Tannehill three times in a 16-15 victory over the visiting Tennessee Titans on Sunday in the season opener for both teams.
Carr, who signed with New Orleans as a free agent in the offseason after nine seasons with the Raiders, completed 23 of 33 for 305 yards with one interception and teamed with Shaheed for a 19-yard tie-breaking score in the third quarter.
Marshon Lattimore, Marcus Maye and Paulson Adebo each had an interception against Tannehill, who completed 16 of 34 for 198 yards.
The Saints drove 60 yards on their first possession of the third quarter and rookie Blake Grupe kicked a 52-yard field goal -- his third in as many tries -- to tie the score at 9.
After Adebo got New Orleans' third interception of Tannehill, Carr threw the scoring pass to Shaheed for the Saints' first lead, 16-9 with 1:23 left in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter Nick Folk kicked a 45-yard field goal and a 29-yarder that pulled Tennessee within 16-15 with 2:17 left in the game.
Carr's 41-yard completion to Shaheed on the ensuing possession helped New Orleans run out the clock.
On the opening kickoff the Titans' Amani Hooker took the ball away from Shaheed, leading to Folk's 50-yard field goal.
Carr drove New Orleans 67 yards to Grupe's 26-yard field goal that tied the score at 3.
Derrick Henry, who finished with 63 yards on 15 rushes, carried five times for 39 yards on the next possession, setting up Folk's 27-yard field goal that gave Tennessee a 6-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Zach Baun tipped a punt by the Titans' Ryan Stonehouse and the ball traveled just 1 yard to the Tennessee 28. That led to Grupe's tying 33-yard field goal.
Folk kicked a 31-yarder to give Tennessee a 9-6 lead. The Saints drove into field-goal range in the final minute of the second quarter, but Hooker intercepted Carr to preserve the Titans' three-point lead at halftime.
--Field Level Media
Tennessee | New Orleans | |
Derrick Henry | Player | Jamaal Williams |
15 | Attempts | 18 |
63 | Yards | 45 |
4.2 | Avg Yards | 2.5 |
0 | Touchdowns | 0 |
18 | Long | 11 |
Tennessee | New Orleans | |
DeAndre Hopkins | Player | Chris Olave |
7 | Receptions | 8 |
65 | Yards | 112 |
9.3 | Avg Yards | 14.0 |
0 | Touchdowns | 0 |
16 | Long | 45 |
Yards | Scoring | Defense | ||||||
Team | Tot | Rus | Pas | TD | FG | INT | Sck | FF |
Tennessee | 285 | 104 | 181 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4.0 | 2 |
New Orleans | 351 | 69 | 282 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 |