Tyler Shough and Devaughn Vele led a late surge, but a pick-six shut down the New Orleans Saints hopes of tying the game. The Miami Dolphins built up a 16 point lead, and it was a hole that was too much for the Saints to dig out of, despite an impressive last drive.
The first half of the Saints' loss to the Dolphins was highlighted by the Saints offense wasting a strong performance by the defense. That performance was assisted by Tua Tagovailoa and his struggles. One of the assists was a throw on a screen pass that was well behind the receiver. The ball fell incomplete, and Miami had to settle for a field goal. Sometimes bending but not breaking is about luck.
There were times where the Saints had good field position, but the Saints failed to take advantage of good field position. All in all, they just struggled to get any momentum going early in the game. Things did get better as the game went on, but it wasn't enough to overcome the early deficit.
The excitement around the Saints has quickly dissipated
The Saints seemed poised to find momentum after beating the Carolina Panthers. It was Tyler Shough's second start of his career. The first start was against the Rams, where the Saints were severely outmatched. Finally playing a team in the Saints same stratosphere, Tyler Shough had Saints fans believing he could be an answer moving forward.
The last two weeks have slightly soured expectations. It isn't that Shough isn't showing skill. He's had his moments sprinkled throughout the games, but the confidence inspired by that Week 10 victory has quickly left the fan base.
The offense hasn't looked the same in the past two games. Some of the flurries in the second half give more hope, but it's not like it was after beating the Panthers. Shough and the Saints offense made a strong push, and gave fans reasons to believe. Still, it feels like the belief is starting over at zero with the fans.