Current:Home > MarketsSaints again fizzle out tantalizingly close to pay dirt in a 2nd straight loss -AlphaFinance Experts
Saints again fizzle out tantalizingly close to pay dirt in a 2nd straight loss
View
Date:2025-04-23 13:44:38
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — When Derek Carr’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete in the end zone, the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrated and Carr and Co. left the Superdome field amid boos from spectators who had watched the New Orleans Saints stall out in virtually the same fashion in Houston last Sunday.
“We will join them in that because we’re the ones out there doing it,” Carr said when asked about his message to frustrated fans. “We want to give them a great product. We want to give them wins. They deserve wins. They deserve to see a great product. Hopefully we get our stuff together and get it together quick and start to get on a run so they can enjoy some more moments.”
New Orleans has lost four of five and the past two setbacks have come with the Saints threatening — but failing — to score a tying touchdown in the final minute. In Week 6, they stalled at the Houston 24 with four consecutive incomplete passes. On Thursday night, it happened 18 yards closer to the goal line.
Carr guided New Orleans from its 25 to the Jaguars 6 as the clock ticked under a minute but failed to connect with receivers on four plays in a row in 31-24 loss.
“We’re a lot closer but we’re still not there yet and we’re going to keep grinding until we get there,” coach Dennis Allen said. “We’ll figure out how we’ll get a little better and be more consistent. That’s the challenge. We’ve got to become a more consistent football team.”
The Saints have been consistently bad in the red zone all season, ranking 28th in the NFL with touchdowns in only 38.6% of their possessions inside the 20 entering Thursday night. They improved only slightly with two touchdowns in five opportunities, but the issues hit them hard on that final sequence.
On first down, Carr threw well out of bounds with no one open.
Feeling heavy pressure on second down, he threw over the head of open receiver Taysom Hill in the end zone.
On third down, tight end Foster Moreau dropped a pass in the corner of the end zone with no one around him.
“It’s tough,” said Moreau, who grew up in New Orleans. “In front of every man, woman and child I’ve ever known. It’s a dark place to be. It’s the National Football League. It doesn’t come down to one play, but it comes down to one play.”
On fourth down, Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown knocked down a fade for Chris Olave, providing a fitting end to a frustrating night when Carr was demonstrably angry more than once.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to fix that,” Carr said. “It sucks right now. We’re finding everything that sucks right now. ... There’s some things in football that are completely controllable that I think we could do better.”
The boos began in the first quarter and picked up considerably as the game progressed, reaching a crescendo when linebacker Foyesade Oluokon returned Carr’s tipped pass 24 yards for a touchdown to give the Jaguars a 24-9 lead.
Suddenly, though, the Saints responded with two touchdowns. Carr completed seven straight passes before Taysom Hill ran it in on fourth-and goal from the 1 to cut the deficit to 24-16 early in the fourth quarter. After a fourth-down stop near midfield, Carr hit Michael Thomas for a 17-yard score before finding Alvin Kamara for a tying 2-point conversion with 6:38 left.
But the defense, which had held Jacksonville scoreless in the second half, gave up a 44-yard touchdown reception on a shallow cross by Christian Kirk at the 3:08 mark.
“We’ve just got to find a way to close out the game,” said Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu, who was covering Kirk on the decisive score. “There were a lot of opportunities we kind of left out there.”
Most of them were on offense. The Saints settled for a 23-yard field goal after having first-and-goal at the 6, a 35-yard field goal after having first down at the Jacksonville 22 and a 42-yard field goal after having a first down at the Jaguars 23.
“Somehow, some way, we’ve got to get those guys on the same page,” Allen said about his players. “There’s a lot that goes into that.”
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
veryGood! (9324)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- A war travelogue: Two Florida photographers recount harrowing trip to document the Ukraine war
- Michigan didn't flinch in emotional defeat of Alabama and is now one win from national title
- 15 Practical Picks to Help You Ease Into Your New Year's Resolutions & Actually Stick With Them
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Police say Berlin marks New Year’s Eve with less violence than a year ago despite detention of 390
- Green Day changes lyrics to shade Donald Trump during TV performance: Watch
- Gunmen kill 6 barbers in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban near the Afghan border
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- What does a total abortion ban look like in Dominican Republic?
Ranking
- Your Wedding Guests Will Thank You if You Get Married at These All-Inclusive Resorts
- Horoscopes Today, December 31, 2023
- Natalia Grace Docuseries: Why the Ukrainian Orphan Is Calling Her Adoptive Mom a Monster
- Carrie Bernans, stuntwoman in 'The Color Purple,' hospitalized after NYC hit-and-run
- Meet 11-year-old skateboarder Zheng Haohao, the youngest Olympian competing in Paris
- Bowl game schedule today: Breaking down the five college football bowl games on Jan. 1
- 2 dead after motorcycle crash ejects them off Virginia bridge: police
- What's open New Year's Eve 2023? What to know about Walmart, Starbucks, stores, restaurants
Recommendation
FBI: California woman brought sword, whip and other weapons into Capitol during Jan. 6 riot
How Golden Bachelor's Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist Plan to Honor Late Spouses at Their Wedding
Hack, rizz, slay and other cringe-worthy words to avoid in 2024
Why isn't Jayden Daniels playing in ReliaQuest Bowl? LSU QB's status vs. Wisconsin
Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
A driver fleeing New York City police speeds onto a sidewalk and injures 7 pedestrians
China's first domestically built cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, sets sail on maiden voyage
Michigan beats Alabama 27-20 in overtime on Blake Corum’s TD run to reach national title game