For the fourth straight year, the New Orleans Saints fell short in the playoffs. The Saints beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice in the regular season, but they could not complete the sweep in the playoffs.
The biggest factor was the turnover margin. New Orleans gave the ball up four times and didn't force a single turnover of their own.
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“You ain't beating nobody when you turn the football over four times,” WWL NFL analyst Mike Detillier said. “Three of the four led to touchdowns. You can't overcome that.”
The Bucs scored touchdowns after the first three turnovers and ran the clock out after the fourth. Three of those four turnovers were interceptions by Drew Brees.
“Yesterday, you didn't have it,” Detillier said. “It's sad to see it end like this for Drew, but there's some reality there that he didn't have it.”
“There comes a reality check in life, for all of us, that you just aren't as good as you once were,” Detillier continued. “I think Drew has long known it, and the signs are there. We've talked about this all last year and into this year. We knew it was going to be the end of the trail for him. When you start talking about retirement like he did...I think you're more than halfway there.”
It was a lackluster performance for Brees. He went 19-34 (55.9%) for just 134 yards with 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. His 38.1 passer rating was the fifth lowest of his career and the second lowest of his time in New Orleans.
Brees didn't immediately announce a decision on his future. “I’m going to give myself an opportunity to think about the season, think about a lot of things, just like I did last year, and make a decision.” That did not surprise Detillier, who still expects Brees to retire.
“It's difficult to watch a guy who's going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer go out this way,” Detillier said. “But rarely in sports, or in real life, do we end it storybook-like.”
“What he has done for this city, this franchise, he deserves that moment [to wait for the right time] because he's been the best football player ever to put on the Black and Gold,” Detillier went on. “We'll remember those great times.”