We never like to blame the refs but...the officiating in the Week 2 Saints-Bucs matchup was atrocious and completely changed the game.
For anyone jumping on the Saints' bandwagon in 2022, hold on a moment. NOLA looked just as bad offensively as they did in 2021, and this game unfortunately proved that this new-look Saints squad still needs a lot of work.
It's not fair to put all the blame on the refs given how poorly the Saints' offense played in Week 2, but the refs did make a pair of back-to-back questionable calls that crucially shifted the momentum of the game.
The first was on defensive back Bradley Roby, who in the fourth quarter made helmet-to-helmet contact with a Bucs wide receiver that the refs deemed "unnecessary roughness." That nullified a third-down stop and gave Tom Brady a new set of downs.
The second was an arguably soft call on Cam Jordan for defensive holding on a second down at New Orleans' 38-yard line. Brady threw a touchdown pass a few downs later, and the Bucs took a 10-3 lead late in the fourth quarter.
Saints-Bucs Week 2 matchup is marred by poor officiating
Hate to blame the refs but they threw Lattimore out after he was attacked unprovoked and now they've given Tampa Bay two first downs on bogus penalties.
— John Sigler (@john_siglerr) September 18, 2022
Penalties (deserved or not) decimating the Saints during this fourth quarter while their defense is otherwise getting the job done.
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) September 18, 2022
Not to mention earlier that quarter, the refs threw out both Bucs' Mike Evans and Saints' Marshon Lattimore for a feisty on-field brawl that NOLA didn't start.
Tampa Bay running back Leonard Fournette actually shoved Lattimore first, Lattimore gave him a shove back, and Mike Evans then intervened and bulldozed Lattimore to the ground.
Alas, the refs aren't to blame for this loss. Jameis Winston in particular played a game he'll want to forget, recording three picks in the fourth quarter (including a pick-6) and failing to generate any rhythm in the first three quarters.
Sound familiar? Winston also got off to a slow start against the Falcons in the season-opener, but he managed to pull off an unlikely comeback late in the game. Against a much tougher Bucs defense, Winston got totally stuffed -- he did throw a touchdown to Michael Thomas, but it was too little too late.
The narrative from 2021 remains the same: the Saints' defense played a nearly-perfect game, yet the offense simply couldn't execute.
NOLA had been digging their own grave all game -- the refs just buried them with those two fourth quarter calls. Let's hope for a bounce-back performance in Week 3.