The New Orleans Saints are 1-2 after three weeks, but is it true they are a few officiating decisions away from being 3-0?
That is the latest overreaction worth exploring after another frustrating loss.
New Orleans has now been on the wrong side of controversial calls in both of its losses this season. The latest came Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, when a fourth-quarter sack-fumble by Tyler Shough was upheld on replay, while the Raiders got three extra chances to punch the ball in the endzone
due to questionable penalties.
That does not necessarily make the officiating the reason New Orleans lost either game.
It does, however, make the Saints’ 1-2 record more interesting.
Against Detroit, New Orleans had opportunities to win despite the controversial ruling. The same was true against Las Vegas.
The Saints led the Raiders 27-16 in the second half and appeared to be in control before everything unraveled. New Orleans turned the ball over on all four of its fourth-quarter possessions, including two lost fumbles and an interception. Las Vegas turned those mistakes into points and rallied for a 35-27 victory.
That is where the “couple bad calls away from 3-0” argument becomes complicated.
There is no denying that officiating has been a major storyline in the Saints’ two losses. But New Orleans has also had chances to put those games away and failed to do so.
Sunday was the clearest example.
The Saints’ offense was extremely efficient for most of the afternoon. Shough threw four touchdown passes, Chris Olave had nine catches for 107 yards, and New Orleans converted 9-of-15 third downs while going 4-for-4 in the red zone. Yet they couldn’t finish the game with a win.
So, yes, the Saints could reasonably argue that officiating has affected their record. But saying they’re simply 3-0 without the poor officiating would ignore the opportunities they’ve had to win these games themselves.
And perhaps that’s what makes this an interesting overreaction.
New Orleans may not be as far away from a 3-0 start as its record suggests. But the Saints still have to prove they can finish games when the opportunity is there.
