Motto of Saints Week 2 loss to Las Vegas: We beat ourselves
The New Orleans Saints went into Las Vegas feeling like double-digit favorites, but they ended losing by ten. The team’s mistakes cost them the game.
Both entering the game 1-0, the Saints flew out to Vegas for their first official road game. They met with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders were 1-0 after defeating the Carolina Panthers 34-30 in their Week 1 matchup. The Saints downed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-23.
Following just those matchups, it was clear the Saints should be favored, and they were. They came out of the gate hot, starting the game up 10-0 and eventually 17-7. They allowed the Raiders to storm back and tie the game at the half.
Knotted up at 17, the Raiders took the ball on the first drive of the third quarterback and punched the Saints in the teeth, taking their first lead of the game. The Saints offense got nothing going after that. They ran 11 offensive plays in the third quarter.
The damage wasn’t that bad, entering the fourth down seven.
The damage becoming just infuriating when the team was on a second and eight and Cam Jordan made a horsecollar tackle on Jacobs, sending a third and five in their territory across the half. The Raiders later scored a touchdown off the drive.
That was a brutal blow, but it wasn’t the final one. The final one, although the Saints were penalized all throughout the game, came in the Raiders’ final drive, the one that set them up for the game-clinching field goal.
On third and five, quarterback Derek Carr missed Henry Ruggs, the Raiders star rookie. Janoris Jenkins was called for defensive pass interference. A 29-yard penalty, the Saints gave up a field goal and the rest was history.
For the game, New Orleans committed 10 penalties for 129 yards. Las Vegas gave up just 13 yards on three penalties. The Saints were the more talented team, but that difference was sadly the ball game.
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The win goes to the Raiders, and the loss should hit New Orleans like a rollercoaster as they’ll head back home to prepare for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.