The New Orleans Saints walked into SoFi Stadium on Saturday and came away with much more than a preseason loss. They were buried by the Los Angeles Rams 34-0 in a game that made the Rams look every bit like a Super Bowl contender and left the Saints looking drained after a stretch of live work that included two games and three joint practices in 10 days.
The margin was bad enough on its own. The context made it uglier. The Saints were shut out by that score in the preseason for the first time since 1971, when the Philadelphia Eagles beat them 34-0.
And from the opening stretches, the game had the feel of a team that never found its footing. The Saints finished with three turnovers, including two in the red zone, and piled up 12 penalties for 96 yards.
They were flagged twice for having 12 defensive players on the field. By halftime, the Rams had already built a 20-0 lead, outgaining New Orleans 272-98 and piling up 19 first downs to the Saints’ four.
New Orleans had more first-half penalties, six for 57 yards, than first downs.
Former right tackle Jon Stinchcomb didn’t soften the edges of what he saw on the WVUE-TV broadcast.
“There’s just an intensity that’s lacking right now (from the Saints),” former right tackle Jon Stinchcomb said on the WVUE-TV broadcast. “It’s been startling, really, the lack of execution, the lack of intensity and lack of focus.”
Jermon Bushrod sounded just as blunt during the same broadcast.
“We look flat,” Jermon Bushrod said during the halftime broadcast on WVUE-TV. “We look like we’re getting out-physicaled.”
Even after the break, when the Saints opened the second half with a little more energy, the night never turned. Spencer Rattler guided the offense deep into Rams territory, all the way inside the 10-yard line, only for Alex Cook to jump a pass at the goal line and race 100 yards the other way for a touchdown.
Head coach Kellen Moore, usually calm and steady on the sideline, couldn’t fully hide his frustration. Cameras caught him shaking his head and waving his hands in frustration more than once.
The quarterback play was part of the problem all night. Zach Wilson got the start but couldn’t build on his strong showing in Week 1.
Over four first-half drives, he produced only four first downs and never got the Saints past the Rams’ 40-yard line. He went 6 of 12 for 56 yards and posted a 28.1 passer efficiency rating.
Wilson didn’t get much help. The Saints’ first two drives stalled because of penalties, and another ended on a dropped pass. His interception came on a miscommunication with Bub Means on an option route.
Rattler’s second half wasn’t much cleaner. He finished 14 of 23 for 141 yards with a 60.2 passer rating, and the Saints failed to score across five second-half series. The pick-six to Cook loomed largest, but it was only one part of a rough outing.
The Rams also spent plenty of time challenging Martin Emerson, especially early. Emerson’s coverage wasn’t disastrous, but he was the main target of Los Angeles’ second drive, a 14-play, 63-yard march that ended in a field goal. On the Rams’ first two possessions, Emerson was targeted six times and allowed three catches for 24 yards while also drawing a defensive holding penalty.
It could have looked even worse for him. Stetson Bennett overthrew Tyler Scott on a post route after Scott had beaten Emerson.
With Quincy Riley out because of a groin injury, Emerson is being leaned on for cornerback depth. He had flashed in coverage during camp, but the Rams made him a focus on Saturday.
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Alex Cooks pick-six, Jarquez Hunters touchdown run and solid work from Wesley Bailey, Stetson Bennett, CJ Daniels, Austin Blaske and others turned the preseason meeting into a reminder of how much can swing once the starters are gone. For New Orleans, that is the part of August that matters now, because the challenge is no longer just finding flashes, but deciding which reserves can actually help when the games count. [Read more 🡒]