Saints Struggle Again as They Fall to 0-2 in Dramatic Loss to 49ers

On Sunday, the New Orleans Saints experienced their second consecutive loss of the season. They lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 26-21. The team now holds an unfortunate record of 0-2, reminiscent of their poor start during the 2017 season when they eventually rallied to make the postseason after winning eight straight games. This time around, though, the Saints are left to stew in the juices of botched chances and failure to come through in crunch time.

The Saints came into their 2024 season expecting to turn things around after a disappointing 5-12 finish last year. Their progress seems permanently hampered as they fail to build on important momentum during the two games played to date. The loss to the 49ers highlighted some of these critical errors. Five missed field goals in back-to-back weeks and a secondary committed to defensive breakdowns for larger plays, such as a 42-yard touchdown catch by Jauan Jennings.

>Quarterback Spencer Rattler generated glimpses of intrigue, with the talented quarterback tossing three touchdown passes in a game for the first time in his career. His passing line was 25-for-34 with 207 yards and he had four carries for 14 yards. Rattler connected with Rashid Shaheed for a touchdown in the third quarter. Then, late in the fourth quarter, Devaughn Vele really put this game on ice with a key touchdown reception. He even turned a key fourth-and-1 conversion in the third quarter into a touchdown, showing his talent to step up when it matters most.

Rattler said he was disappointed with the way the team played.

“I mean, yeah, but you want to win at the end of the day. We play this game to win. We play together. We battle every week, and we’re so close as a team. We’re doing the right things throughout the week,” – Spencer Rattler

Saints linebacker Demario Davis reflected on the team’s current situation. Davis understands how fast a season can turn, having been on two different teams to start 0-2 or worse. His Atlanta Falcons followed by stints with the 2016 Cleveland Browns and the 2017 New York Jets.

“I don’t think you have to make it any more than it is. This game is about execution and you stay locked in and you don’t let one game turn into two games. I mean last year we started 2-0 and it totally went off the cliff, so you can start 0-2 and it can totally go the other way,” – Demario Davis

Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said they can’t lose their focus and must come out with more energy and execution from here on out. He stated that the mark of a true championship team was the ones that take advantage of opportunities, as opposed to losing those opportunities.

“We’ve got to pounce on opportunities when they’re presented and we’ve got to give ourselves a better chance, and so there’s too much good in there to miss these opportunities,” – Kellen Moore

Moore further expressed his discontent with the emotional damage incurred from near-misses.

“It hurts when you lose games like this and that’s how it’s supposed to feel. … There’s no feel-good moments out of this,” – Kellen Moore

The Saints now have their sights set on daunting back to back road games in Seattle and Buffalo. They need to address their problems early and often to ensure a hard-fought win. This last part is huge—the team needs to be working to improve their execution and convert that potential into performance.