The Saints need a win to save their season, might as well head to Tampa Bay to dominate. It went like clockwork ... but the clock had 3 too many minutes on it, and Tom Brady took full advantage in a 17-16 Bucs win.
New Orleans now heads into their bye with a pit in their stomach and a 4-9 record. They're not mathematically eliminated from the NFC South race, but they might as well be.
With all that in mind, here are my three quick takeaways from another painful performance against Tom Brady's Bucs.
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THE FLORIDA SAINTS COULDN'T FINISH THE JOB...
In the 2021 season the Saints effectively got to choose where they played their "home opener" while they were displaced due to Hurricane Ida. They chose Jacksonville, in part because they wanted to force the Green Bay Packers to travel to Florida, where Aaron Rodgers had traditionally struggled.
In reality, the reason should've picked Florida for more personal reasons. The Saints had been simply unstoppable in that state. For why? It's tough to say, but the results don't lie. Since 2018, the Saints had been 6-0 and had outscored opponents 160-43. Everything looked good until it didn't.
- 2022, Week 13: Bucs 17, Saints 16
- 2021, Week 15: Saints 9, Bucs 0
- 2021, Week 1: Saints 38, Packers 3
- 2020, Week 9: Saints 38, Bucs 3
- 2019, Week 11: Saints 34, Bucs 17
- 2019, Week 6: Saints 13, Jaguars 6
- 2018, Week 14: Saints 28, Bucs 14
It was one of the more bizarre subplots in sports, and it might've just be a random quirk, but it's definitely something that left me feeling a bit more confident despite how awful the 2022 season has been. If there was any stadium I'd want the Saints to face a must-win game to save their season, it'd be Raymond James.
And wouldn't you know it? The Saints looked right, for one night. They harassed Tom Brady. They moved the ball. They even *gasp* forced multiple turnovers and didn't give any away. Crazy how much easier the game feels when you're doing all that. It wasn't enough.
Too many missed opportunities doomed the Saints, and the defense got run down the field for a go-ahead TD with 3 seconds left. Pain. Pain everywhere.
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FEED RASHID SHAHEED.
The former Weber State star was coming off an ACL tear in the final game of his college career, and that meant his NFL career had a bit of a slow start. He didn't participate in minicamps or OTAs. He missed the first several weeks of training camp, but it was clear the Saints knew what they had.
The only question was whether they could sneak him onto the practice squad. I felt at the time that was why, even after he was fully healthy, the Saints opted not to get him on the field for even one preseason snap. They can say it was a health thing all they want ... the team was hiding him.
They managed to sneak him onto the practice squad, and then Deonte Harty went down with an injury. The Saints didn't elevated him from the practice squad as they could've, a strategy they've used throughout the year. They signed him straight to the active roster. There would be no poaching.
It didn't take long for Shaheed to prove the team right. His first touch was a long TD run. His second touch was a long TD catch. He's been a walking big-play threat on a team that's desperately needed one, and nowhere was that more evident than in a must-win matchup with the Bucs. He led the team with 3 catches for 71 yards.
He's one of the few Saints players who haven't had a ball bounce off their helmet in the past two weeks (a list that now includes Juwan Johnson, Taysom Hill and Chris Olave). He's also only scratching the surface of his return potential, breaking off a career long 42-yard scamper in the first half in Tampa. He just keeps making plays, and keeps proving his coaches right. You love to see it.
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THE DEFENSE TURNED THINGS AROUND, BUT NOT ENOUGH
There have been a lot of frustration points for the 2022 New Orleans Saints, but none bigger than the frustrating dropoff of a defense that went into the season with title-caliber projections.
Play-makers and lock-down corners and fearsome pass-rushers. What's not to love? Well, a lot over the first 12 weeks of the season. They too often could not stop the run. They too often crumbled at the worst possible moments. They too often proved incapable of making game-changing plays (IE: Takeaways).
Things felt like they shifted in a 13-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, even if it was tough to appreciate in a shutout. But an undermanned defense faced down a team loaded with more weapons than they know what to do with, and they really never buckled. There were 3 points gifted on an early fumble. The lone TD of the game came on a bizarre tipped ball. There were positive things to take away.
That message felt like it was stamped through three quarters at Raymond James. The defense collected multiple turnovers for the first time since Week 1 and looked good doing it. Cam Jordan chased down Rachaad White and forced a fumble, eliciting what can only be described as an emotional explosion from Dennis Allen on the sideline.
It was all good until it wasn't. The Saints lost their edge, and Tom Brady drove the field twice in the final 2 minutes for a pair of touchdowns that turned a 16-3 deficit into a 1-point win.
For years the Saints were the team that did this sort of thing to the others. Now they're the team that loses this game. This season can't end soon enough.
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LAGNIAPPE
In a win, it doesn't matter much. In a loss, the bad drops will turn your stomach. Chris Olave had a ball hit him on the helmet that'd have set up a Saints drive for at least 3 points. Jarvis Landry attempted to go up with one hand in the red zone and couldn't pull it down, meaning the Saints settled for 3. Taysom Hill had a ball in his hands that'd have allowed the Saints to burn a a lot of the clock. All missed opportunities. Not the end of the world, but you'd still like to see this team maximize its opportunities. ... The Saints' turnover differential finally went in the positive direction. They're now at minus-12, and finally move out of the cellar. The league-worst differential now belongs to the Colts at minus-14. Yay! ... The baffling issue in this game was the ineffectiveness of Alvin Kamara. He finished the game 26 rushing yards on 12 carries. Something doesn't add up. ... With his 199th career game, Cam Jordan tied Rickey Jackson for No. 4 on the Saints' all-time list. ... Carl Granderson's fumble recover in the third quarter was the first of his career. ... Wil Lutz didn't miss. It's weird to have to note that, but it's a weird season. 21, 29 and 38. Good, good, good.