Sean Payton said he had no plans to dwell on the result, even as painful as the loss to the Falcons was in Week 9.
He was more concerned with how the Saints ended up in a three-score hole, and focused correcting the execution issues that led to a zero on the scoreboard until well into the third quarter of a 27-25 loss.
"Obviously it’s a tough way to lose a game. Tip your hat to Atlanta. I thought they played better than us today," Payton said. "I told our players you can focus more on the result of that game, and as a coach, our jobs are to focus more on what caused the result. We didn’t do enough things well today. That always bothers you as the coach because you’re wanting to see your performance be more consistent, better."
The Saints trailed 24-6 midway through the fourth quarter, with the result appearing out of reach after a sack-fumble of starting quarterback Trevor Siemian and a long runback into the red zone. The Falcons finished off that drive with a touchdown to Olamide Zacchaeus, his second of the day from QB Matt Ryan.
But then the comeback started. Siemian led the Saints into scoring territory three times, throwing his first touchdown of the day to Marquez Callaway. His second touchdown came with just under a minute left when he hit Kenny Stills near the boundary, with the veteran plowing his way in for a score and a 25-24 Saints lead.
It was a bit of redemption undone by a 64-yard catch and run to Cordarelle Patterson that set up a Younghoe Koo game-winning field goal as time expired. But as impressive as Stills and tight end Adam Trautman were in those final moments, the early-game drops that kept the Saints offense in neutral stood out in the box score.
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"I thought we dropped a few balls. More than our fair share," Payton said, noting that he left with a positive impression of Siemian's performance in his first start. "Like I said, we’re third and long I don’t know how many times with the penalties in the first half. It’s frustrating.”
But while Saints fans will be hammering on the walls to try to speak Odell Beckham Jr. into a Saints jersey, Payton wasn't backing off his prior assessment that he's comfortable with his WR room. Beckham was released by the Cleveland Browns last week and will hit the waiver wire on Monday.
“It wasn’t just receivers," Payton said. "I saw other guys dropping balls.”
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MORE FROM PAYTON
ON TAYSOM HILL'S ROLE
The Saints coach made it clear that Taysom Hill's QB snaps throughout the day were gameplan based, not a QB changeup based on any offensive struggles.
Hill was effective in that role, completing both of his pass attempts for 33 yards and rushing once for 4 yards. It was his first game back after a concussion suffered in the Week 5 win over Washington.
“I thought he gave us some energy when he came in. He had a run. We had a handful of plays, it was just kinda how the game went. Look, if you’re not converting third downs then you’re number count … you’re just going to have a shorter amount of plays. He’s part fo the plan.”
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ON CJ GARDNER-JOHNSON'S INJURY
The Saints played the second half without nickelback CJ Gardner-Johnson, who left with a foot injury. Payton didn't have any update on his status post-game.
"Look, he’s a good football player. It’s always difficult when you lose a starter like that, so we had to make some adjustment. And hopefully he can get back on the field quicker than later. But, yea, it’s tough.”