For the second time in as many weeks, the New Orleans Saints dropped a game to an NFC West opponent, losing to the San Francisco 49ers, 26-21, on Sunday afternoon.
Still look for its first victory under first-year head coach Kellen Moore, the Saints fell shy of a victory with a chance to win it in the fourth quarter. Here’s how it happened.
Scoring summary
Never leading the entire game, New Orleans (0-2) went down 9-0 before quarterback Spencer Rattler connected with tight end Juwan Johnson on an 18-yard touchdown with just over a minute until halftime.
San Francisco (2-0) wasted no time responding, going on a quick nine-play drive that resulted in Mac Jones finding Christian McCaffrey for a seven-yard score. The 49ers were up 16-7 going into the locker room.
Some life was injected into New Orleans after halftime, forcing a fumble on the opening drive. This led to a touchdown toss and catch between Rattler and Rashid Shaheed. San Francisco’s lead was cut to two points, 16-14.
The Saints then allowed 10 straight points on another Jones touchdown pass – this time to Jauan Jennings – and a 46-yard field goal by Eddy Pineiro.
Rattler and company responded with a touchdown reception by Devaughn Vele with 6:18 remaining in the fourth quarter to make it 26-21 in favor of San Francisco. The Saints D got a late stop to give the offense one more go-round, but it proved fruitless as the team could not find a way to score as the clock ticked to all zeroes.
What the coach said
While Moore was not excited about the result of the game, the New Orleans coach did praise his team’s effort and competitiveness in getting a chance to win it at the end.
“We’ve got to…clean [our] own house and play cleaner football in all three phases. There’s only so many opportunities in these games,” Moore explained. “We’ve got to put ourselves in better situations. We can’t be in these third and longs, and then when the opportunity presents itself, we have to play clean football and have everyone on the same page.”
Moore also noted that Rattler played well behind center, passing for 207 yards on 25 of 34 attempts with a career-high three touchdowns. The second-year pro added 14 yards on four carries.
“His legs certainly showed up,” he said. “He made some plays.”
Numbers never lie
While Rattler’s play was assuring, his supporting cast didn’t provide too much help, dropping the South Carolina alum’s record as a starter in the NFL to 0-8. He was sacked three times, one of which came on a fourth down to end the Saints’ final possession of the game.
Running back Alvin Kamara carried the ball 21 times for 99 yards but lost a fumble that San Francisco turned into a touchdown. He added six receptions for 21 yards.
Isaac Yiadom paced the New Orleans defense with six tackles while Carl Granderson had two sacks. Defensive end Cameron Jordan played his 228th game in the black and gold on Sunday, tying former quarterback Drew Brees for the franchise record.
For the 49ers, Jones – filling in for an injured Brock Purdy – didn’t miss a step with 279 yards and three touchdowns on 26 of 29 passing. McCaffrey had 107 total yards and a score, while Jennings caught five balls for 89 yards and a score. The other touchdown came courtesy of tight end Luke Farrell.
Up next
New Orleans: at the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Sept. 21, at 3:05 p.m. CT.
San Francisco: vs. the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Sept. 21, at 3:25 p.m. CT.
