In another football lifetime, Cincinnati safety Jessie Bates baited Raiders quarterback Derek Carr at the Coliseum in Oakland, stepping slyly in front of Hunter Renfrow for a diving interception. That was on Nov. 17, 2019. On Sunday, Bates was a Falcon and Carr a Saint. Late in the first quarter in Atlanta, Bates did the baiting again, waiting till the right moment when Carr threw to Rashid Shaheed. The throw was a mistake, a tad behind the well-covered Shaheed, and Bates timed it perfectly, picking it off at the eight-yard line and running 92 yards for a touchdown.
“That’s the same play you made in Oakland, right?” Carr said to Bates after it happened. Amazing he recalled, and amazing how right he was. Each was a middle-of-the-field throw and each had the element of surprise from Bates. “I’ve been a step late on a bunch of plays this year, and I thought I needed to be more aggressive,” Bates told me. “This was kind of a risk. The coach tells [me], ‘Play the middle of the field,’ and I do, but I’ve been watching a lot of film on the Saints and I thought there was a play to be made there.”
On the last play of the third quarter, Bates made another play—punching the ball out from Taysom Hill’s grasp near the Falcons’ goal line. Atlanta recovered and drove for the insurance score. Two huge plays, leading to 14 points in a 24-15 win. Atlanta’s tied for the NFC South lead with New Orleans at 5-6, but the Falcons have a huge edge with a 3-0 division record to the Saints’ 1-2.
“These are the kinds of games you dream of as a kid,” said Bates. “Playoff atmosphere, full house, a game we really needed. The division’s open, but we’re in the front seat now.”
Read more in Peter King’s full Football Morning in America column.
