There were plenty of "losing" moments in the Saints' collapse to the Bucs, and it's really not necessary to single any of them out. But one did seem to stand out about the rest.
That play came with just over 6 minutes remaining and the Saints sitting on a 16-3 lead and the ball, the game seemingly in hand and needing 8 yards for a new set of downs. Mark Ingram caught a pass from Andy Dalton and skirted upfield. There was space to gain the first down, but at the last moment he skirted to the right and out of bounds before Devin White could lay a hit, leaving a 3rd and 1.
The Saints opted to throw a quick slant to Marquez Callaway on the next play, which fell incomplete. The clock stopped and the Saints punted. The Bucs drove the field for two touchdowns on their next drive to steal a 17-16 victory. The go-ahead touchdown was scored by Rachaad White with 3 seconds remaining. The margin truly was that thin.
Ingram apologized for the moment after the game on social media.
"Im sick about this one," Ingram posted. "Regardless of circumstances or how I feel I have to get that fresh set of downs for the squad. I apologize to my teammates my coaches and my city for a crucial mistake. We work way too hard and sacrifice blood sweat and tears. I will be better."
So what happened? It all started a few plays earlier when Mark Ingram went down at the 10 yard line clutching his knee. He had missed several games earlier this season with a knee injury, and it was fair to wonder whether it might end his night.
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It didn't. Ingram went into the injury tent, but was cleared to return by team medical personnel, head coach Dennis Allen said. So when Alvin Kamara's helmet popped off after a first-down run, Ingram was the player who replaced him. The knee was clearly still an issue, and that's what Allen pointed to.
"I think I think that was definitely an opportunity for him. ... It looked like he kind of came out of the cut, and he kind of tweaked his knee a little bit earlier in the game," Allen said. "I think he kind of felt it right there and lost track of where the sticks were."
In fairness to Ingram, he did leave his team with a 3rd and 1 on the Bucs side of the field. The Saints opted to throw it rather than pound ahead, knowing they could've had two plays to get it if needed. That's where Allen pointed the biggest bit of criticism. The Saints didn't convert, and punted in Bucs territory for the third time in the game.
"We hadn't run the ball that effectively up to that point. And so I don't know that there was a ton of confidence in our ability to run the football there. That, again, is one that I look back at and I'm like, you know, after looking back at it, I second guess myself just a little bit," Allen said. "I think you run the ball there you get the first down, and if you don't get the first down, worst-case scenario is you take another 40 seconds off the clock, so that's probably one that I'd like to have back."
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On the whole, Ingram and the Saints played a vast majority of effective football. The Saints dominated the first three quarters, Ingram finished with a team-high 27 rushing yards on his 7 carries and 22 receiving yards on his five catches. But in the end, it'll be the one yard Ingram couldn't pick up and the 7 points they couldn't prevent that will keep this team wondering what might've been the rest of the 2022 season.