There's a lot of stats you want to lead the league in but fumbles lost isn't one of them. And the New Orleans Saints
were already losing more fumbles than many of their peers going into Week 10's game with the Carolina Panthers before Tyler Shough and Audric Estime botched a run-pass option, putting the ball on the turf and into Carolina possession. They have now extended that lead to fumble ten times in nine games.It's frustrating that this is still a problem so late in the season. You can't use the excuse of Shough's injured left hand; he isn't being listed on the injury report every week anymore after breaking a couple of bones earlier in the year, though he is still wearing a glove to protect it. He's had plenty of time to practice those
handoffs and get it right.
Much of the responsibility falls on head coach Kellen Moore. Pop Warner coaches around the country are teaching nine-year olds who to cleanly hand off the ball and receive it. High school teams took the cue from college programs to nail down RPO's a decade ago. Moore's own brother is doing it each week as the head coach at Washington State. It's embarrassing that he's letting this happen.
FUMBLE! Recovered by Phillips 🔥#CARvsNO
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 15, 2026
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/2VFzw5l9J8
Why is he tolerating this? He's drawn criticism for failing to address chronic problems like an outlandishly low first-quarter scoring output and inability to run the football, but these are fundamental aspects of the game that he is neglecting. Just like setting up a punt return with only ten players on the field (as happened earlier in this game), Moore and his coaching staff haven't shown an eye for detail or ability to drill the basics. That's a losing combination.
And that's why so many people are calling for his job just 24 games into his tenure. You expect some bumps along the way as the NFL's youngest head coach gets a feel for what's expected of him. But Moore isn't getting better. He isn't visibly making progress or even doing anything. He's just watching his team fail to score points, fail to run, and even fail to hand the ball from one player to another. Something needs to change. It might start with someone else occupying his office.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints extend their lead in the most fumbles lost this season so far
