​There are 59 days to go until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2026 regular season against the Detroit Lions, so we’re turning the clock back to 1977 to highlight the Saints Play of the Day. Archie Manning found Henry Childs on a great route into the Green Bay Packers secondary for a 59-yard touchdown in that year’s season-opener. You can see it for yourself right here.The play went down as Manning’s touchdown pass, but truthfully Childs did most of the work. The receiver made a slight adjustment to jump and catch the ball while keeping his legs moving in stride, then he maneuvered one Packers defender to crash into another and spring him free into the open field. He shrugged off one would-be tackler, then changed his angle to the goal line to put the other Packers in pursuit at a disadvantage. Textbook run-after-catch skills.It was all part of a furious — but futile — comeback effort. The Packers had gone up 24-0 at halftime, but running back Chuck Muncie rumbled in for two touchdown runs to cut into that deficit before Childs fought his way into the end zone. The Green Bay defense buckled down after that, though, and the Saints lost in front of their home crowd 24-20. They only won three games that season as the 10-year-old franchise continued working to find its way. But moments like this long touchdown from Manning to Childs did a lot to keep fans engaged and excited about what success might look like for their team.1 / 21The actor John Goodman was recognized by the crowd at the official opening of the new John Goodman Amphitheatre at Missouri State University on October 30, 2022.
Goodman Theatre798 Print(Bruce Stidham special to the News-Leader, Bruce Stidham special to the News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK)This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints Play of the Day: Archie Manning’s 59-yard TD to Henry Childs