The Saints had one last chance, but Tonka Hemingway seemingly sealed the game with an interception on a deflected pass. However, the turnover was negated by an illegal contact penalty on Chinn.
Any frustration resulting from the cleared interception was short-lived. Nakobe Dean forced a fumble on tight end Juwan Johnson, who had two touchdowns on the day. The play is reminiscent of Dean’s forced fumble on Omarion Hampton just a week ago in Los Angeles.
“We knew we had to get our act together, we had to get back to playing our type of football,” Dean said. “And that’s our style of play, winning the ball. We set a goal every week: ‘How many takeaway points are we going to get?’ We didn’t have any in the first half, so we had to come back strong in the second half.”
“He’s the heart of our defense,” Kubiak said of Dean. “We count on him every week. The other guys thrive on his maturity, number one, and his style of play, number two.”
Dean’s college teammate Eric Stokes recovered the ball, sealing the victory and improving the Raiders to 3-0 for the first time since 2021.
“I just want to salute our defense,” Kubiak said after the win. “Four takeaways in the second half were the catalyst for the game. I’m so proud of them and all the guys who fought until the end.”
Gn sports
