Breaking down how the New Orleans Saints ended first quarter at 2-2
By Tony Twillie
Las Vegas
It was a thrill to open up a new stadium. Allegiant Stadium, aka The Death Star, proved to live up to its billing as the Saints didn’t survive their business trip to Vegas.
The Saints left Las Vegas like most people who visit do – with losses; in this case, a 34-24 loss, which after halftime may not have even been that close.
Two first-quarter chances put the Saints up by 10 to finish the quarter, and another score had the Saints up 17-7 with just over five minutes to play in the second quarter. From that point, the Raiders scored 24 unanswered points.
The Saints didn’t score again until late in the fourth quarter. By that point the game was all but decided.
The Saints had only 19 rushing attempts and 12 of those came in the first quarter, so obviously losing the running game hurt.
But the penalty parade was what really doomed the Saints. 10 penalties for 129 yards left the defense on the field way too long, leading to a nearly 13-minute disparity in time of possession. The Saints allowed Derek Carr to play like a Pro Bowler on that night.