To say the New Orleans Saints have started slow on offense this season would be a bit of an understatement. In several games it’s been more like they never got started at all.
That was definitely the case in a Week 13 loss to the Dolphins that saw the Saints held off the scoreboard in the first half of a game New Orleans dropped 21-17 despite a wild rally that came up just short. The Cajun Cannon Bobby Hebert has seen just about enough.
“I don’t know, to me that first half was just pitiful, just frustrated,” Hebert said in his postgame rant on WWL Radio. "I wouldn’t have blamed any Saints fans if you stopped watching the game.”
Hear the full postgame rant from the Cajun Cannon Bobby Hebert in the player above. Can’t see the embed? Click here.
The Saints offense began the game with three straight three and outs, and only ran four plays on the next possesion before losing the ball on a sack fumble. They went three and out again before finally getting untracked for an 11-play drive late in the second quarter that ended on an interception. The Saints have been the NFL’s lowest scoring first quarter offense, and have now been outpaced 92-19 in the opening frame. They trailed 16-0 at the break.
"We’re always chasing points,” Hebert continued. "We’re always losing. We always have to play some type of catchup. Obviously that’s not winning.”
Things did change after halftime, with the Saints getting the ball out of the break and going 70 yards on 10 plays for a touchdown and 2-point conversion that brought the game back to a one-score margin. The Saints were able to generate positive yardage on the ground and run tempo offense, though procedural penalties did gunk up the works.
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The Saints nearly completed the comeback in the 4th quarter, with a 56-yard field goal from Charlie Smyth and a touchdown to Devaughn Vele, but the Saints were unable to convert the 2-point attempt, which was returned for 2 points the other direction. That loomed large after the Saints recovered an onside kick but needed a touchdown for the win rather than have a game-winning field goal attempt. The Saints did have a chance for a go-ahead touchdown on a pass that went through Chris Olave’s hands and the Saints were stopped on 4th down two plays later.
“I’m not hating. You want to be the No. 1 receiver, you’ve got to make that catch at the end of the game,” Hebert said. "Come on, and I even say this with Juwan Johnson the very first game, you never know what’s going to happen, sets the tone against the Cardinals. Now, that was a really tough catch, but you make that tough catch, that contested catch, Saints have a chance to win. Same thing with Olave, you’ve got to make that touchdown catch at the end of the game.”
In the end it was another loss in a lost season that dropped the Saints to 2-10. There were positive steps in the second half, but too much of the same in the first half.
Next up will be a rematch with the Bucs in Tampa in Week 14. Catch all the action on WWL and Audacy.