Ouch. The New Orleans Saints came up small in too many critical moments against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, falling to 2-4 on the season so far. They controlled the clock in the second half but settled for field goals while the Bengals scored touchdowns, and it cost them the game. Let’s break it down.
Final score: Saints 26, Bengals 30
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
| Cincinnati | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 30 |
| New Orleans | 7 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
Injury outlook
- Tight end Adam Trautman was rolled up on during a run play early in the first half, suffering an ankle injury. He had his left foot heavily taped on the sideline and returned to play in the second half after the team said he would be questionable to return.
- Left guard Andrus Peat exited the game with an undisclosed injury and did not return, with rookie lineman Lewis Kidd filling in for him. Kidd was a left tackle in college at Montana State and practiced at right tackle over the summer for New Orleans.
- Wide receiver Keith Kirkwood received treatment in the injury tent late in the fourth quarter but returned to the game.
It was over when...
The Saints went three-and-out late in the fourth quarter. They took the field at their own 25 yard line up 26-24 with 3:42 left in regulation, plus all three of their timeouts. They had just racked up more than 15 minutes’ time of possession.
But they ran twice to set up a manageable third down, needing 4 yards to convert, and left tackle James Hurst was blown up by former Saints pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson got a hand on Andy Dalton as he wound up to throw to a wide-open Juwan Johnson on a crossing route but the pass fell incomplete.
Then Blake Gillikin had a very uncharacteristic (and horribly-timed) shanked punt, setting the Bengals offense up at their own 40 yard line. And that’s all they needed for Ja’Marr Chase to shake a Bradley Roby tackle and outrun Tyrann Mathieu down the sideline for a 60-yard touchdown reception. It was the worst possible sequence of events in that situation, and it put the Saints offense in a hole they couldn’t climb out of. What’s worse is they dug that hole themselves with mistakes in all three phases of the game.
Saints' top performers
- Passing: QB Andy Dalton completed 17 of 32 passes for 162 yards and 1 touchdown pass, taking 1 sack for a loss of 7 yards
- Rushing: RB Alvin Kamara had 19 carries for 99 yards, with his longest attempt gaining 24 yards … RB Mark Ingram gained 46 yards on 9 carries, picking up 14 on his longest run
- Receiving: WR Tre’Quan Smith caught all 3 of his targets to gain 43 yards and score 1 touchdown reception … RB Alvin Kamara caught 6 of his 9 targets to gain 25 yards
- Defense: LB Demario Davis led the team with 9 tackles (7 solo, 2 tackles for loss), and was credited with 2 sacks and 2 QB hits … CB Chris Harris Jr. was credited with 8 tackles (all solo) … DL Tanoh Kpassagnon had 1 tackle (solo) and 2 QB hits
Team stats
- Third and fourth downs, offense: 8-of-18 (44.4%)
- Third downs and fourth, defense: 6-of-10 (60.0%)
- Total yards, offense: 399 yards gained on 71 plays (5.6 yards per play)
- Total yards, defense: 348 yards allowed on 54 plays (6.4 yards per play)
- Penalties against the Saints: 4 fouls for 34 yards, 1 first down
- Penalties benefiting the Saints: 3 fouls for 30 yards, 1 first down
- Time of possession: 27:47 for New Orleans, 32:13 for Carolina
What's next?
There’s no time for the Saints to feel sorry for themselves, or even to really devote a lot of hours going over the game tape. They’ve got to hit the road for a Thursday night game with the Arizona Cardinals, who will be welcoming superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins back to their lineup after a 6-game PEDs suspension. Hopefully the Saints can get top cornerback Marshon Lattimore off of the injury report. This game showcased how important he is to what they’re built to do against the pass. If the Saints fall to 2-5 with a road loss in Arizona, things will get spooky in New Orleans very quickly.
