The New Orleans Saints kicked off against the Los Angeles Rams with everything in front of them. The stakes couldn’t be higher with the loser needing a lot of help to stay alive in the playoffs race. Dennis Allen’s team had every opportunity to change the narrative and prove they belonged.
A win would have dramatically improved their playoff chances by opening up a wild-card seed as well as the NFC South title. A loss would’ve made them long shots to even win the division. With celebrities like Shohei Ohtani and legendary former Saints quarterback Drew Brees in attendance and the game broadcast to a national audience, the stage was set for Allen’s team to prove their doubters wrong.
And they fell flat on their faces. The Saints lost 30-22 and were never in control of the game’s flow. Allen’s handcrafted defense started the night off by allowing an eight-minute, 95-yard touchdown drive to the Rams. Derek Carr wilted under pressure and threw an awful interception in the second half to set up a quick Los Angeles touchdown run.
When the Saints finally rallied back in the fourth quarter by blocking an L.A. punt to set up shop in scoring position, they were already down 30-14 with the announcers previewing the Rams’ next game.
It was a disaster. Allen’s odd decision to try an onside kick late in regulation made it all too easy for the Rams to run out the clock inside New Orleans territory. Both teams may have taken the field with a 7-7 record, but by the final whistle it’s clear they didn’t belong in the same company.
That validates all of the criticism Allen and his staff and quarterback have faced: that they can’t beat good teams (the Saints are 1-6 against squads at or over .500 this year), that they’re undisciplined and prone to penalties, and that they aren’t as competitive as recent wins over the lowly Carolina Panthers and New York Giants would suggest.
Allen carried himself with a bit of swagger after knocking out those two clubs. Now he has to face the music after coming up short in the most important game of the year.
