Sunday saw the New Orleans Saints take on both the Las Vegas Raiders and incompetent/unethical referees in their 2026 home opener. The result was a bitter and frustrating 35-27 loss that dropped the Saints to 1-2. They'll finish the weekend tied for the top record in the NFC South as they try to regroup for next week's home showdown against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.
New Orleans outgained the Raiders by a 381-340 margin in total yards while in the process finally getting a stagnant running game going. Tyler Shough again had some very good moments but clearly must take care of the ball better. The Saints were done in by four fourth quarter turnovers (what should have been three, but point stands), defensive breakdowns, and ridiculously
corrupt officiating throughout the game. Here's the good, bad and ugly from their Week loss.
The Good: Tight ends
Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant combined to catch all 12 of their targets for 86 yards and 4 touchdowns. Johnson lost a late fourth quarter fumble that sealed the defeat, but both he and Fant were matchup nightmares for the Raiders throughout the afternoon.
The Good: Running game
New Orleans picked up 148 yards on the ground while averaging 5.3 per attempt. That was nearly as many (156) as the team ran for over their first two games combined. Granted, they were helped by a brilliant 36-yard scramble by Shough. Still, backs Travis Etienne, Alvin Kamara, and Kendre Miller averaged over 4 yards per carry and accounted for 107 rushing yards. Etienne left the game with an apparent hamstring injury, certainly a concern, but this kind of rushing production will help the passing game and make the entire offense more dangerous.
The Good: Chris Olave
Olave continues to flourish no matter the situation or coverage against him. He and Devaughn Vele had 12 combined catches for 146 yards, with Olave pulling in 9 passes for 107 yards. Olave accounted for four first downs with another catch setting the Saints up at the goal line. We are witnessing his development into one of the league's elite wideouts.
The Bad: Turnovers
Committing four (three!) turnovers aren't going to win you many games, especially when all come in the fourth quarter. Shough was responsible for three (two) of those errors with two interceptions and a (not) fumble. It was clear that the Saints had to face both the Raiders and the officials. They assisted in sealing their own fate by beating themselves with costly mistakes.
The Bad: Secondary
New Orleans had struggled to cover tight ends through the first two games, but Sunday was ridiculous. Raiders tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer accounted for 13 receptions, 148 yards, and 2 scores on 16 targets. The Saints made Bowers look like a first ballot Hall of Famer with 10 catches for 116 yards and a score. Moreover, mediocre Raiders wideouts were allowed to pull in key receptions in crucial moments and the defensive backfield was responsible for some putrid tackling on a couple of big Raiders gains with the running game. Only Kool-Aid McKinstry registered an official pass breakup (2) as he had a solid outing. Jonas Sanker was the most egregious offender throughout the afternoon, but Saints coverage in general allowed way too many uncontested catches and were unable to stop the swing of momentum in key moments.
The Ugly: Officiating
With most games in the NFL over the past several seasons, you can take your pick. For the Saints on Sunday, it was Chase Young getting mugged on every play, Khristian Boyd being victim of a WWE takedown twice, the clear hold/interference on Devaughn Vele on a deep throw that went uncalled. Or of course, the strip sack of Tyler Shough in the exact situation where a Chase Young strip sack of Jared Goff was reversed two weeks ago.
Some complain that NFL officiating is inconsistent. It isn't. It's consistently Bad at best, blatantly corrupt at worst. Don't think that the NFL is embarrassed by this either -- this is exactly what Roger Goodell and the league office clearly wants. This game has become nearly unwatchable because of it. Sickening and despicable.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Breaking down the Good, bad, and ugly from Saints' loss to Raiders
