Jeff Duncan: When it comes to great touchdown celebrations, the Saints are NFL leaders

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save If there were a Hall of Fame for touchdown celebrations, the New Orleans Saints would be well represented. From Joe Horn to Jimmy Graham to Lance Moore, the Saints have featured their share of showboats over the years. And they’ve conspired to produce some enduring content for NFL Films.

Other NFL clubs have won more games and championships. But few have been more colorful than the Saints, as this week’s installment of my season-long “25 for 25” series attests. I hope you enjoy the list of best touchdown celebrations in my 25-year tenure on the Saints beat as much as I did compiling it: No.



5: Kamara's snow angel (Dec. 25, 2020) Granted, the snow angel isn’t an original celebration, but given that it transpired after Alvin Kamara’s historic sixth rushing touchdown, it certainly warrants a mention. When Alvin Kamara put up 6 touchdowns on Christmas Day (And cost me my fantasy championship) pic.

twitter.com/aDdXrzJm47 Kamara’s six-touchdown day in the Saints’ 52-33 rout of the Vikings was a Christmas Day gift for Saints fans. And his emphatic end zone celebration after his NFL record-tying sixth score was the bow on top.

No. 4: Carr’s MJ tribute (Sept. 15, 2024) I did not have Derek Carr imitating Michael Jackson on my bingo card in Dallas during the Saints’ 44-19 blowout win over the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Week 2.

Not Derek Carr hitting a Michael Jackson celly in Air Jordan 11 cleats 😭🔥 pic.twitter.com/Dt0K4ycEoU Carr’s 1-yard touchdown sneak before halftime gave the Saints a 35-13 lead, spurring the veteran quarterback’s impromptu end-zone dance.

Carr’s celebration went viral on social media, and he later received a $14,000 fine from the NFL for his transgression. "People don't know a lot of stuff about me. Weddings or birthdays, I'm always dancing," Carr said afterward.

"One time, I hit the Michael Jackson, and (my brothers) were like, ‘Bro, you have to do that if you score.’ " No. 3: Moore does Key & Peele (Dec.

29, 2013) For other, less colorful teams, Lance Moore’s tribute to Hingle McCringleberry would top the list. But here, it merits no higher than No. 3.

the first player to do the Key and Peele “three pumps” TD celebration was...

Lance Moore in 2013 pic.twitter.com/PfJuU5gply Moore’s controversial-but-hilarious celebration after his 44-yard touchdown catch against the Buccaneers in the first quarter of the Saints’ 42-17 win actually wasn’t flagged by the officials.

Instead, it was teammate Kenny Stills’ accompanying imitation of Key & Peele’s penalty flag toss that earned a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct infraction. In terms of sheer quantity and quality, no Saint had more creative touchdown celebrations than Moore, a former undrafted free agent from Toledo. No.

2: Horn’s house call (Dec. 14, 2003) Joe Horn always had a flair for the dramatic. The star receiver sparked a nationwide controversy when he celebrated his 13-yard touchdown reception from Aaron Brooks against the New York Giants by pulling out a cellphone he had secretly hidden under the padding in the goalpost stanchion in the south end zone at the Superdome.

December 14, 2003: On SNF, after scoring his 2nd of 4 TDs during a 45-7 Saints win, WR Joe Horn pulled out a cell phone from underneath the goal post. He was fined $30K by the NFL. pic.

twitter.com/hhVr1JWLjI The celebration earned Horn a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and $30,000 fine from the NFL. Not that the penalty mattered.

The Saints won the game handily, 45-7. Michael Thomas honored Horn’s celebration in 2018, when he pulled a cellphone from underneath the goalpost padding in the same end zone after scoring a 72-yard touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams. I reached Joe on the phone that afternoon in Mississippi, and he said, “When I saw him bring out that cellphone it brought a tear to my eye.

For him to pay homage to me in that way, let me know what kind of man Michael Thomas is.” No. 1: The Graham slam (Nov.

21, 2013) Graham’s trademark goalpost dunk celebration, which was a tribute to his basketball-playing days at the University of Miami, was the most popular recurring celly in team history. And here’s the moment from Jimmy Graham hanging on the goalpost in a 2013 Saints-Falcons game, which caused a delay of about 20 minutes as it was fixed. Maybe actually hanging on them is the difference? Either way — color me a bit confused.

pic.twitter.com/v4AwGIV2eI His two-hand slam after catching a 44-yard touchdown pass in Atlanta bent the upright in the Georgia Dome and led to a 20-minute delay in the game so stadium workers could repair it.

Unsurprisingly, it also spurred a rule change — forever known as the Jimmy Graham rule — which made it illegal to dunk over the crossbar during games. The penalty for breaking the rule is a 15-yard infraction and a fine of up to $30,000. In an act of defiance, Graham intentionally dunked over the goalpost twice in a preseason game the following season, incurring penalties and fines for each, along with an emotional rebuke on the sidelines from Coach Sean Payton.

The No Fun League, indeed..