The New Orleans Saints had one of their ugliest losses of the season on Monday Night Football, falling 20-3 to the Miami Dolphins.
The Saints had urged fans to wear black to the game to, but it wasn't a blackout they got according to Bobby Hebert.
“Domefield advantage, blackout,” Hebert said. “We got the black eye. It wasn't no damn blackout; it was a black eye.”
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“You want the fans to cheer? They were ready to cheer; the Who Dat Nation was ready to cheer,” Hebert went on. “We have not scored a touchdown in the first quarter in the last seven games. So when you're trying to get the crowd into – or your team motivated – that's one thing we always did under Drew [Brees] with Sean [Payton]. We always got off to a fast start, a majority of the time.”
It was tough from almost the get-go, with rookie quarterback Ian Book throwing a pick six on his second career pass attempt. Book continued to struggle behind the makeshift offensive line all night, compiling just a 40.6 passer rating on 135 yards while getting sacked eight times. Those eight sacks were the most allowed by the Saints since 1997.
It was a night full of stats like that.
It was the fewest points scored in the Sean Payton era. It was the first time in the Sean Payton era that New Orleans failed to convert a single third down (the last time was in 2005 against the Miami Dolphins). It was the second time in the Sean Payton era the offense gained under 175 yards (the other instance was against the Carolina Panthers earlier this season), and it is the first time the Saints have had two games under 175 yards in a single season since 1998.
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“This was very disappointing for the Who Dat Nation,” Hebert said. “There wasn't much to write home about. This was like a glorified preseason game that counted, considering the guys who were in the game.”
The Saints must put this one in the past quickly. They sit at 7-8 but are still firmly in the playoff race. Next up are the 5-10 Panthers on Sunday at 3:25pm in the Saints' final home game of the regular season.