The New Orleans Saints’ second preseason outing turned into a long night fast, and by the time it was over, the Los Angeles Rams had rolled to a 34-0 shutout.
After a week packed with practices, scuffles and injuries, the Saints opened Saturday’s game by trading punts with the Rams. That calm didn’t last long.
Los Angeles then put together a 14-play march that ended with the game’s first points, a field goal. The Rams had first-and-goal inside the Saints’ 10, but a false start pushed them back and they settled for the red zone FGM.
3-0, LAR.
New Orleans’ next drive carried into the second quarter, but it ended in a hurry. On the first play of the period, Zach Wilson tried to connect with Bub Means and instead threw an interception to Rams cornerback Al’zillion Hamilton.
Los Angeles made the Saints pay immediately. Stetson Bennett finished off the turnover with a play action rollout into the end zone, then added another touchdown run after New Orleans turned it over on downs on the next series.
A Saints possession that lasted less than two minutes and ended in a punt gave the Rams yet another chance before halftime, and they turned that into a field goal as the clock hit zero. 20-0, Rams.
The second half brought a new quarterback for New Orleans, but not much else changed. Zach Wilson was out, Spencer Ratter was in, and the Saints still couldn’t find traction.
New Orleans appeared to be moving with Rattler leading the way to start the third quarter, but once the offense reached goal-to-go, he forced a throw into near triple coverage and Alex Cook took it 100 yards the other way for a pick-six. Suddenly, it was 27-0.
The Saints did have one brief spark after that. A 32-yard catch-and-run from Rattler to CJ Donaldson ended with a fumble that bounced harmlessly out of bounds, so New Orleans kept the ball. But two plays later, Ty Chandler coughed it up inside the Los Angeles five-yard-line, and another scoring chance disappeared.
Los Angeles kept control into the fourth quarter even after Ty Simpson took over at quarterback in the second half. Simpson helped the Rams drive near the red zone, though that possession ended on downs. New Orleans followed with another three-and-out, and Jarquez Hunter closed the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run.
The Saints’ night was defined by penalties, sloppy play, mental mistakes and what looked like exhaustion. On their final possession, Rattler led a 12-play drive that gave New Orleans a shot to avoid the shutout, but Tanner Brown pushed a 39-yard field goal wide right. That sealed the 34-0 loss and left the Saints still searching for a reliable kicking option on the roster.
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