NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Quarterback Tyler Shough and the New Orleans Saints exhibited a knack for the comeback in the first two weeks of the season, only to lose their late-game mojo in the Superdome in Week 3.
“There was a lot of good,” coach Kellen Moore said Monday after reviewing video of New Orleans' 35-27 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. “Ultimately, we didn't get it done.”
The Saints led 27-16 in the third quarter before giving up 19 unanswered points,
including two Raiders touchdowns that stemmed from two of the Saints' four turnovers in the fourth quarter.
“Every opponent is going to put an emphasis on creating turnovers and we’ve got to do a better job protecting the football,” Moore said. “The big thing for us is take the emotion out of it and just keep going. ... We all get to learn stuff from each and every game.”
The Saints (1-2) are a few plays away from being 3-0. After erasing a 21-point deficit at Detroit, they lost in overtime on a failed 2-point conversion attempt. They rallied to win at Baltimore in Week 2 before falling apart in the late stages of their home opener.
The good news for New Orleans is that no team in the NFC South has more than one victory through the first three weeks.
“It's the NFL; every game is going to be tight,” Moore said. “We've got a lot of big-time moments moving forward. The biggest challenge in the NFL is the riding of the roller coaster, so to speak, and the emotions of every game. ... You've got to be able to respond and just keep building and keep climbing.”
The Saints executed well on third downs. They converted nine of 15 opportunities into first downs against Las Vegas. The 60% conversion rate was New Orleans' best in more than a season.
The Saints will have to do better with ball security. Four turnovers on three fumbles and an interception in their final four possessions cost them dearly in an eight-point loss.
Tight end Noah Fant, in his first year with the Saints, caught all four balls thrown his way for 33 yards, two for touchdowns.
Defensive end Chase Young had two sacks.
Veteran running back Alvin Kamara, who likely will be the starter this weekend, has yet to find the form to which he — and the Saints — became accustomed during the first eight years of his career. He had 36 yards rushing and 5 yards receiving against the Raiders.
Running back Travis Etienne, who pulled a hamstring in the third quarter is expected to miss at least one game. Linebacker Pete Werner left Sunday's game with a stinger in his neck and shoulder area, while defensive end Carl Granderson left with an ankle injury and Anfernee Jennings left with a knee injury. Moore has yet to provide a recovery timeline for them.
12 — The number of losses for the Saints in their past 18 home games.
The Saints host the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, Oct. 5, just a week after the 20th anniversary of Steve Gleason's punt block — memorialized in a statue outside the Superdome — in New Orleans' first home game after Hurricane Katrina.
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