The New Orleans Saints looked well on their way to securing their second straight victory for the first three quarters, then everything went downhill. There were still some bright spots, however, such as standout wins in the trenches by Taliese Fuaga and Khristian Boyd.
Even in the midst of the collapse in protection Fuaga remained firm on the right side. He had a battle against one of the best in the business, but you wouldn't have been able to tale. That earned him one of three game balls from our Saints experts after the game.
BIG TIME KB pic.twitter.com/ABbERbWpV1
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 27, 2026
Taliese Fuaga rises to the occasion in the biggest head to head of the game
Taliese Fuaga won his superstar matchup vs Maxx Crosby
Crosby was often talked about in reference to Kelvin Banks Jr. being out due to injury, however, that left out the context of the All Pro edge rusher spending most of his time against the right tackle. It set up a huge battle with Taliese Fuaga, one that the Saints right tackle won.
Crosby had a relatively quiet night rushing the passer, and Fuaga was the reason why. Per PFF, Fuaga was only credited with one hurry and a QB hit allowed.
Going against a player of Crosby's caliber is no easy feat. It was easily the biggest and most impactful one on one matchup of the game. The pressure numbers alone show who won the matchup, and the fact Fuaga kept Crosby from making any game changing plays drives home the point.~ Darrion Gray
Khristian Boyd was a major standout despite not getting a ton of snaps
Khristian Boyd is my player of the game after an unforeseen breakout performance. The 2024 sixth-round pick had a quiet first two seasons, but impressed against the Raiders with two tackles for loss and one sack. His prowess as a run defender was evident, and clearly his pass rush is improving.
The Saints have a crowded defensive tackle unit, but Boyd can continue carving out bigger roles with these showings. Him developing into a dominant run defender and rotational piece would be huge for Brandon Staley’s defense and help them in 2026. The potential is there, now it’s time to see if he can capitalize on it.~ Drew Collings
Travis Etienne's injury loomed large late in the game
Even though he got injured and the Saints lost, I don’t think Travis Etienne's game should be ignored. He was having his best game as a Saint yet, doing a ton of dirty work as he got his 57 yards on the ground.
Etienne’s consistent running also opened up the passing game. Because of him, Kellen Moore was able to call some play-action plays for once as well, which led to the initial lead. If he didn’t hurt his hamstring, I think the game would’ve had a different outcome.~ Molly Bauer
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