It's no secret that Julio Jones was the most overrated wide receiver of his generation. The longtime Atlanta Falcons star fumbled the ball more times (4) than he scored with it (3) in rivalry games against the New Orleans Saints. And that includes our Saints Play of the Day for Day 31 as we count down to the 2024 regular season kickoff.

Jairus Byrd, who wore No. 31, gets the credit for this one. You can see the play here. The Falcons were trailing the Saints 6-0 in the 2014 season opener, and when they finally got into scoring position late in the first quarter Matt Ryan trusted Jones to catch a pass and cut through the New Orleans secondary for their first touchdown.

He should've picked someone with better hands. Byrd chased Jones down at the Saints' 5-yard line and tackled him, punching the ball loose from his grasp. Defensive back Corey White fell on it in the end zone for a touchback, and Drew Brees marched the New Orleans offense downfield to take an early 13-0 lead.

Byrd never did meet the expectations that came with his massive free agent contract. Between complicated injuries, inconsistent play, and questionable usage by defensive coordinator Rob Ryan he wound up being a big bust for Mickey Loomis in free agency. But this was arguably the best play he made in a Saints uniform, and we're forever grateful for it. Here we are a decade later using it to slander Jones.

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This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Jairus Byrd's touchdown-saving forced fumble is the Saints Play of Day 31