Sunday's New Orleans Saints game shouldn't have gone to overtime. The Saints defense was robbed of a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown early on against the Detroit Lions, turning what could have been a tied game at 7-7 into what became a 21-0 rout. New Orleans was able to rally back in the second half and take it to overtime, and they even had a chance to win it all. But it shouldn't have gone that far. A widely-panned ruling with instant replay decided that Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw a forward pass (which fell incomplete), even if the ball flew well behind him after it left his hand. For his part, Saints coach Kellen Moore is trying to take it in stride.
"A little bit of a challenging circumstance," Moore admitted. "But I understand
what the rules view it as. Once the arm is moving, there's really no matter where the ball is going. There's protection there. Unfortunate outcome for us."
It was a disappointing outcome for all involved. Chase Young lost a sack-fumble in the stat sheet. Jonas Sanker lost a fumble recovery and a touchdown on his resume. And the Saints lost the game when their two-point bid fell short in overtime. If the play had stood, their second-half rally would have put them ahead, not just tying it up at the end of regulation.
For his part, Young was more noncommittal: "I've never seen anything like it. That's all I'll tell you."
Maybe the Lions would have been more aggressive in the fourth quarter if they were protecting a narrower lead. Maybe the points the Saints would have gotten from this touchdown would have given them enough breathing-room for Tyler Shough to settle down faster and play more effectively earlier in the game. It's frustrating. But it's a long season, and all the Saints can do now is move forward. Let's hope they make enough improvements and win enough games that one bad call doesn't weigh so heavily against them in the end.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Kellen Moore reacts to ruling that wiped out Saints defensive TD
