Saints decimated by Denver in Sean Payton's return to New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS (KLFY) -- Thursday Night Football had the setup to be a signature win by New Orleans. After 4 straight weeks of losses, Saints fans were eager to get back in the win column.
But Sean Payton's return to Caesars Superdome would turn out to be a massacre for Dennis Allen's New Orleans Saints as they go on to lose 33-10.
Head Coach Dennis Allen addressed recent struggles in his post-game press conference.
"I think as coaches and as players, we have to do a better job," Allen said. "We've got to do a better job throughout the week. Our preparation, we're making mistakes that, you know, we shouldn't be making."
The Saints' dominant 2-0 start feels like a lifetime ago after suffering their fifth straight loss. New Orleans was out-gained by 118 yards thanks to Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix and the Denver rushing attack. New Orleans allowed 225 rushing yards on the night, making this the second straight week the Saints allowed 200 rushing yards or more.
Dennis Allen said he does not want injuries to be viewed as a defense for his team's subpar play.
"I think guys are trying. I think guys are working," he said. "You know, we're dealing with a lot of injuries right now and that's not an excuse. Okay. I don't want anybody to misconstrue that as an excuse."
On the offense things looked just a bleak. In rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler's second regular season start, injuries continued to hinder his ability to operate the New Orleans offense at a high level. Rattler finished the night 25 of 35 with 172 yards through the air and went for 34 yards on the ground.
Struggling offensive line play helped cause two fumbles by Rattler, one of which was returned by Cody Barton for a 52-yard touchdown. The Saints scored their only touchdown of the game with Jake Haener under center and less than two minutes remaining.
Rattler said he is not looking to make excuses for his performance.
"You know, I'm so hard on myself," he said. "I want myself to play at a high level at all times, no matter what the circumstance is. You know, we do have a lot of injuries, but you know, it's next man up mentality. You know that we'll get guys back healthy and, you know, we'll keep getting better."
The Saints have ten days to get healthy and fix a laundry list of issues before they hit the road and face Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers in week 8.