New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (89) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Saints WR Rashid Shaheed scores TD on 53-yard bomb

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Oct 20, 2022 8:42 PM ET

The Saints got the scoring started early Thursday as wide receiver Rashid Shaheed scored his second career touchdown in his second touch in the NFL.

Andy Dalton drops a DIME to Rashid Shaheed and we’ve got points early on #TNF! #NOvsAZ on Prime Video
Also available on NFL+ https://t.co/aKjbRcE0ca pic.twitter.com/NfH2w9MmIW
— NFL (@NFL) October 21, 2022

Andy Dalton placed the ball perfectly, and the undrafted rookie out of Weber State made magic happen for the second week in a row.

Last week, Shaheed scored on a jet sweep on his first (and only) touch of the game. It's rare for a player to score a touchdown on his first touch. Two for two? That's even wilder.

Andy Dalton & Rashid Shaheed (53-yd TD)

Air Distance: 51.0 yds
Target Separation: 1.0 yd
Completion Probability: 28.5%*

The pass was the @Saints most improbable TD this season, and Dalton's longest completion by air distance since Week 1, 2019.#NOvsAZ | #Saints pic.twitter.com/2oFsy6Le0f
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 21, 2022

Per NFL Next Gen Stats, the pass had a completion probability of 28.5 percent. An improbable start to the game, and an even more improbable start to a career.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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