New Orleans Loses Again, Drops to 5-5 With 40-29 Loss to Eagles
For the first time since 2016, the New Orleans Saints have lost three straight games after they fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 40-29.
New Orleans dropped to 5-5 this year. They are 2-4 against teams with a losing record.
The first half was miserable for an under-manned Saints offense. To keep it short, their three drives in the first quarter ended in two punts with a interception by starting quarterback Trevor Siemian sandwiched in between.
Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia rushing attack took advantage of the slow start, scoring two touchdowns and taking a 14-0 lead.
After the Saints punted again to start the second quarter, they finally got a gift from their defense when a fumble by Eagles running back Miles Sanders was forced and recovered by former Ragin' Cajun defensive lineman Christian Ringo at the Philadelphia six yard-line.
The Saints scored a touchdown three plays later, but it was called back due to a holding penalty. Siemian, on third-and-goal at the 18, threw a great touchdown to tight end Adam Trautman to cut the lead to 14-7, but that was their only score of the first half.
The Eagles made two field goals as the Saints continued to struggle. After they forced a Philadelphia punt with a minute left in the first half, the offense had one last chance to put more points up. Instead, Siemian threw his second interception of the first half, which was returned 51 yards for a touchdown. The Eagles blew the game open at 27-7 going into the break.
Philadelphia's offense added two more field goals in the third quarter, and, with the Saints failing to do anything, the lead was 33-7 going into the final frame.
Down 26 points with 15 minutes remaining, the Saints attempted to pull off a giant comeback, and, just like the prior two losses, it fell short.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Siemian threw his second touchdown to wide receiver Marquez Callaway. They went for two and failed.
After the New Orleans defense forced a three-and-out, it only took three plays for the Saints to dig further into the Eagles lead with a 17-yard touchdown scramble by Siemian. Very quickly, the lead was down to 14 points, but Saints kicker Brett Maher missed the extra point and it stayed at 33-19.
The Saints defense forced another three-and-out, and the offense drove down into the Eagled red zone. However, instead of going for it on fourth-and-seven at the Philadelphia 10, New Orleans kicked the field goal to make it 33-22 with seven minutes remaining.
The Eagles finally put the game away with a nine-play, 74-yard touchdown drive where Hurts ran for his third touchdown of the day.
Siemian and the Saints offense scored their third touchdown of the fourth quarter with 45 seconds left. The 22 point quarter ended up being a huge outlier for New Orleans in the 40-29 loss.
For yet another week, Saints fans saw their offense only play effectively in the fourth quarter. New Orleans has dropped three straight after winning three straight and are now 5-5.
Up next, New Orleans comes home for a Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Buffalo Bills, a team that has struggled recently, losing three of their last five. Buffalo is 6-4 this season.