Check out the game action photos from the New Orleans Saints game against the Los Angeles Rams for Week 13 of the 2024 NFL season on Dec. 1, 2024 at the Caesars Superdome.
The main thing the New Orleans Saints needed to happen outside the Caesars Superdome on Sunday happened exactly as they would have scripted: The NFC South Division-leading Falcons lost to the Chargers.
The main thing the Saints needed to happen inside the Superdome needed a rewrite: New Orleans dropped a 21-14 decision to the Rams, on a day when the Saints (4-8) could've pulled to within a game of the division lead.
The Saints had their winning streak under interim head coach Darren Rizzi snapped at two, and knew a plethora of costly hiccups was as much a culprit as the Rams (6-6).
OFFENSE: It was a day of tough sledding for the unit especially in the red zone, where it failed to score touchdowns on its two trips. Some of the credit should be attributed to the Rams defense, which held New Orleans to 4.8 yards per play, 327 yards and 5 for 15 on third down. But a first-quarter touchdown (12-yard pass from Derek Carr to Alvin Kamara) was wiped off the board due to a penalty for an ineligible downfield (left tackle Taliese Fuaga), the drive went backward more when right tackle Trevor Penning was penalized for a low block, and kicker Blake Grupe missed the 36-yard field goal attempt that at least would have salvaged something. The run game was solid (143 yards on 31 carries), Carr wasn't sacked and the offense didn't commit a turnover, but the red zone inefficiency glared in the end.
DEFENSE: Defensively, the Saints did well to eliminate the chunk play; a 46-yard pass was the only play allowed that was more than 20 yards. But the run game leakage reared its head again (Los Angeles totaled 156 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries, after entering Sunday averaging 95 rushing yards per game) and the Rams scored touchdowns on all three red zone possessions. A couple of timely, back-to-back penalties (neutral zone infraction on defensive end Chase Young, pass interference by cornerback Alontae Taylor) greatly aided the Rams' final touchdown drive, with the former coming on third-and-10 and the latter, on third-and-5. Give the unit credit for holding in check Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and his receivers; Stafford completed 14 of 24 passes for 183 yards and was sacked twice. But his two touchdowns were red-zone connections in the fourth quarter, with the Saints unable to force field goal attempts.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Grupe's missed field goal wasn't the only miscue. Rams returner Jordan Whittington returned three kickoffs for 100 yards and came perilously close to taking one back for a touchdown. Kickoff cover hasn't been an issue and fortunately, Whittington didn't score but it's something that'll need to be cleaned up. Grupe's miss stood out but so, too, should the fact that he made two 54-yarders.