Da Boot Sports
11/9/2025
Article Courtesy of Crescent City Sports
By: Ken Trahan


   Despite being thumped in Los Angeles by a Super Bowl contender, New Orleans Saints quarterback Shough showed positive, encouraging signs against the Rams.
   In his second NFL start Sunday at Charlotte, that carried over in a huge way. Shough was superb.

   The New Orleans defense was outstanding.

   Were the Panthers, who came in with a winning record, overlooking the Saints? Carolina was underwhelming. The Saints were overwhelmingly better.

   The final score did not indicate how much better the Saints were. As a 5.5 point underdog, the Saints won by 10 points. That says enough about what was a beautiful afternoon in Charlotte and a beautiful afternoon in New Orleans.

   Here are my Quick Takes from the 17-7 win for New Orleans at Carolina:
**Inactives for the Saints were Ugo Amadi, Khristian Boyd, Taliese Fuaga, John Ridgeway III, Jack Stoll and Rejzohn Wright.
**The Saints won the toss and deferred, giving Carolina the ball first.
**Bryan Bresee committed an offside penalty to extend the drive for the Panthers.
**Bullard batted down a Bryce Young pass.
**Demario Davis intercepted a pass but Justin Reid, who has done little all season, committed a roughing the passer penalty for a high hit on Young.
**That allowed Rico Dowdle to finish the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to give Carolina a 7-0 lead with 7:59 to play in the first quarter.
**The drive covered 67 yards in 12 plays, taking 7:01 off the clock.
**The Saints went 3-and-out, including a sack of Shough.
**Shough, under extreme pressure, made three players miss stepped up on the move and hit Juwan Johnson for 52 yards. It was a brilliant play and a career long catch for Johnson.
**Devin Neal ran for 14 yards on the next play, his longest play of the season.
**Shough hit Foster Moreau for a first-and-goal to the 2-yard-line but the Saints offensive line failed miserably. Alvin Kamara lost a yard, Taysom Hill gained a half yard and Shough, unable to find anyone, extended a play but had to throw it away on third down.
**That resulted in a 20-yard field goal by Blake Grupe to make it 7-3 with 2:52 to play in the first quarter. The drive covered 72 yards in 10 plays, taking 5:07 off the clock.
**Davis batted down a pass to force a Carolina punt on its second possession.
**On his 300th career punt, Sam Martin punted down to the New Orleans 2-yard-line with a brilliant 51-yard punt.
**The Saints went 3-and-out as Shough had to throw the ball away to avoid a safety with an unblocked blitzer in his face.
**The first quarter ended with New Orleans totaling 85 yards to 66 for Carolina.
**Nate Shepherd beat his man inside for a sack to stop the next Carolina possession.
**Shough then made a perfect deep throw to Chris Olave over Jaycee Horn for a 62-yard touchdown to give the Saints a 10-7 lead with 9:21 to play in the half.
**It was the second longest touchdown pass by a rookie in franchise history, trailing only Archie Manning’s 63-yard touchdown pass to Danny Abramowicz in 1971.
**Martin again punted the Saints deep, to the New Orleans 8-yard-line with 7:43 to play in the half.
**Olave limped off early in the second quarter with an ankle issue but he was able to return.
**Shough hit Kamara with a swing pass and Kamara ran 26 yards for a first down.
**The drive stalled when Hill dropped a third down pass. It was slightly behind him but should have been caught.
**Cam Jordan added to his franchise best sack total on the next possession. It was his 125th career sack.
**A lousy punt return, compounded by a penalty on the ensuing punt, pinned the Saints back to their own 16-yard-line.
**Inexplicably, the Saints had a drive, let the clock run off 10 or 15 seconds and tried to run inside on a third-and-four play from the Carolina 41-yard-line. Kamara made a yard.
**Then, they took a timeout out in a dead ball situation and decided to go for it with 27 seconds left in the half.
**Luke Fortner committed a snap infraction, costing New Orleans five yards and were forced to punt.
**The clock management was poor and once again, a costly penalty cost the Saints a shot at points.
**New Orleans finished the half with 136 yards to only 83 for Carolina. Shough was 11 of 18 for 194 yards and a touchdown.
**It was only the second time the Saints have led at halftime this season. The other time was the lone win over the Giants.
**Shough ran for a first down on a third down conversion play but Dillon Radunz was flagged for holding, killing the opening possession of the second half.
**Kai Kroeger punted well, resulting in a fair catch at the Carolina 10-yard-line.
**Demario Davis reached 500 tackles for his career in the game.
**The Saints blocked a 47-yard field goal attempt by Ryan Fitzgerald and it was Shepherd who came through to get a hand on it. It was simply a low kick by Fitzgerald.
**Unbelievably, the ball caromed forward past the line-of-scrimmage. By rule it is a live ball and Carolina recovered after Jordan had a chance to do so and did not. Damien Lewis of LSU did for the Panthers.
**Jimmy Horn Jr. then fumbled a handoff on a speed sweep and Pete Werner recovered at the New Orleans 17-yard-line with 4:30 left in the third quarter. It was justice, to a degree. It was seventh fumble recovery of the season for New Orleans.
**Kamara ran for 16 yards and a first down through a big hole. He was tripped up or he may have scored.
**On a fourth-and-one near midfield, Kellen Moore elected to go for it and Kamara squirted forward with a good effort, showing good balance, to get the first down.
**On fourth-and-four at the Carolina 33-yard-line, Moore elected to go for it, passing on a 50-yard field goal attempt. Shough, under pressure, was sacked as Scourton beat Asim Richards.
**Alontae Taylor then picked off Young, who was trying to throw an outside route to Tetairoa McMillan at the Carolina 43-yard-line.
**Zaire Mitchell-Paden made his first reception as a Saint, a first-down completion from Shough, for 15 yards.
**Shough did it again, extending a play, rolling left and finding Johnson wide open for a 30-yard touchdown to give the Saints a 17-7 lead with 10:20 to play in the game. Jaycee Horn fell down on the play, leaving Johnson open. That is what can happen when you extend plays.
**The Saints got a stop but again committed a crucial penalty as Davis was flagged for roughing Young after an incomplete pass. It was a questionable call at best. Davis barely contacted Young but got a hand near his neck area.
**New Orleans still got the stop as Carolina went for it on fourth-and-two at the New Orleans 42-yard-line but Carl Granderson got a big stop to give the Saints the ball with 7:35 to play.
**The Saints rushed for 100 yards for the first time since week four at Buffalo.
**Hill closed it out by running the offense for a pair of first downs.

   There were so many positives.

   Shough was simply outstanding. It is easy to see what Moore and Doug Nussmeier saw in drafting him at No. 40 overall. The poise is most impressive but his ability to climb the pocket, extend plays and his big arm are undeniable. With all due respect to Spencer Rattler, Shough is different.

   Shough completed 19 of 27 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers for a Quarterback Rating of 128.9.

   Shough is the first Saints rookie quarterback to win a game since Dave Wilson in 1981. He also set a franchise rookie record for passing yards with 282. 

   Kamara turned back the clock, rushing 22 times for 83 yards and he caught three passes for 34 yards.

   Olave, with Rashid Shaheed gone, was a big play receiver that the Saints need. Johnson came up with two big plays and had no drops.

   Hill closed the game out, leading his team to a pair of first downs, running hard downhill.

   A week after having the lowest time of possession in franchise history, the Saints kept the ball for 33:21 to just 26:39 for Carolina.

   The Saints amassed 388 total yards, running the ball 37 times and passing just 28 times.

   The New Orleans defense was simply outstanding. Davis was terrific, despite the roughing the passer penalty.

   Werner and Taylor came up with turnovers.

   The Saints held Rico Dowdle in check, with 18 carries for 53 yards and a score.

   Carolina would not have scored a point were it not for the roughing the passer penalty on Reid early in the game. The Saints held the Panthers to just 175 yards.

   The Saints, for a change, did not hurt themselves in the kicking game.

   It was a good day in Charlotte and elsewhere for suffering Saints fans, who have sat through a miserable season, to date.

   No one is miserable in New Orleans today, not the fans, not the coaches who prepared the team well and not the players, who played very well.

   Yes, the Saints left points on the field.

   No, Carolina is not an elite team and Young is nowhere near a very good NFL quarterback. I’ll take Shough over him right now.

   Still, it is a win, the second of the season and the losing streak is over.

   Feel good today. You deserve it.

​John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
11/4/2025
Article Courtesy of Crescent City Sports
By: CCS Staff


   Hours before the NFL’s trade deadline, the New Orleans Saints have traded wide receiver Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks.
   
   While neither team has confirmed the deal, multiple national outlets reported the move, along with the return: the Seahawks will send New Orleans fourth- and fifth-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.

   Shaheed had 44 receptions for 499 yards and two touchdowns this season, including a 87-yard TD catch from Spencer Rattler in the Saints’ lone win of 2025 against the New York Giants.

   Shaheed, an All-Pro return specialist in 2023, caught 138 passes in his four-year career in New Orleans for an average of 14.9 yards per reception.

   He averaged 12.6 yards on 64 punt returns, including a pair of touchdowns, and 23.2 yards on 39 kickoff returns.

   In 42 games as a Saint, Shaheed accounted for 3,891 all-purpose yards, an average of just above 90 yards per game.

   Though Shaheed will be a free agent after this season, he has over-delivered on a two-year, $6.185 million contract signed before the 2024 season, giving him value in the trade market.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   *In other Saints trade news, the Saints have traded starting left guard Trevor Penning to the Los Angeles Chargers for a 2027 sixth round pick.

Da Boot Sports
11/2/2025
Article Courtesy of Crescent City Sports
By: Ken Trahan


   It was predictable result betweeb two franchises heading in different directions.
   Sunday game at SoFi Stadium was also first NFL start for rookie Tyler Shough. You had the feeling it would be a baptism under fire, considering the plight of the New Orleans Saints and the quality of the opponent.

   The Rams were more than a two-touchdown favorite, a much better team. How bad was the New Orleans offense? On five first half possessions, the Saints went three-and-out four times.

   Watching the Rams operate under Sean McVay and Matt Stafford reminded me of how the Saints operated under Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Stafford now has nine touchdown passes in his last two games.

   While Shough did some nice things, it really doesn’t matter who plays quarterback for the Saints. The talent around the quarterback is simply not good enough in any spot. It is hard to accomplish much with just 40 offensive snaps in 60 minutes.

   For perspective, the Rams had 77 snaps.

   It doesn’t matter, either, with the lack of defensive talent overall for New Orleans.

   The Saints remain in a solid position to get the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2026.

   We are trying to grab at straws to find something encouraging here.

   Here are my Quick Takes from the 34-10 loss to the Rams:

**Inactives for the Saints included Ugo Amadi, Khristian Boyd, Zaire Mitchell-Paden, John Ridgeway III, Xavier Truss and Rejzohn Wright.
**The Saints won the toss and elected to receive.
**New Orleans proceeded to run Alvin Kamara twice for three yards. Then, Shough completed a pass to Rashid Shaheed for six yards, a yard short of the first down. That route had to run a yard or two further up the field. The Saints had to punt.
**The Rams started at their own 12-yard-line, went with a no-huddle attack and Matthew Stafford completed eight straight passes for 72 yards and Los Angeles finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Tyler Higbee as the Rams took a 7-0 lead with 6:18 to play in the opening quarter. It was easy, way too easy.
**The Saints went three-and-out again on their second possession as Cesar Ruiz gave up a sack.
**Bryan Bresee forced a three-and-out by tipping a pass on the next Los Angeles possession.
**The Saints went three-and-out again.
**Alontae Taylor laid the wood on a huge hit on the next Los Angeles possession before Chase Young sacked Stafford.
**The Rams finished the first quarter with 104 yards to just 12 yards for the Saints.
**The Rams went for a fourth-and-three and Kool Aid McKinstry committed a pass interference penalty on Puka Nacua to sustain the drive for Los Angeles.
**Taylor then committed a defensive holding penalty and the Rams finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Davante Adams, who beat Taylor on a quick slant to give Los Angeles a 13-0 lead with 11:28 to play in the half. The drive covered 88 yards in 12 plays. The extra point attempt was missed wide left.
**Taysom Hill lined up at quarterback, ran right and bolted 27 yards to the Los Angeles 36-yard-line. On the play, Ruiz was injured and walked off. He was replaced by Dillon Radunz for a couple of plays before Ruiz returned.
**The 27-yard run by Hill was the first run of 20 or more yards by the porous New Orleans run game this season.
**Devin Neal got his first carry, a 4-yard gain.
**The Saints got to fourth-and-one and Kelvin Banks Jr. committed a false start penalty.
**Blake Grupe cam in and kicked a 39-yard field goal to make it 13-3 with 7:50 to play in the first half. The drive covered 44 yards in eight plays.
**The Rams took no time to respond, driving 65 yards in three plays with Stafford throwing a perfect deep ball to Nacua for a 39-yard touchdown, over McKinstry, to give Los Angeles a 20-3 lead with 6:25 to play in the half.
**Young committed an offside penalty to help the Rams on the next possession.
**The Rams missed a field goal with 54 seconds left in the half due to a good rush by Justin Reid, who forced the kick to go wide.
**Shough hit a 13-yard pass to Rashid Shaheed and an 8-yard completion to Juwan Johnson. He then extended a play, rolled right, and hit Chris Olave for 27 yards to the Los Angeles 23-yard-line.
**Byron Young committed a roughing the passer penalty when he beat Taliese Fuaga for a sack but contacted him helmet-to-helmet.
**Shough then hit Johnson with an 11-yard touchdown pass to make it 20-10 with seven seconds left in the first half. The drive covered 71 yards in six plays, taking just 47 seconds to score.
**Shough finished the half 8 of 14 for 84 yards with a score. Stafford was 18 of 23 for 215 yards and three touchdowns.
**Jonah Williams got a sack on the first possession of the second half.
**The Rams took all the air out of the New Orleans momentum going into halftime by taking the second half kickoff, taking 9:46 off the clock and scoring on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Adams to make it 27-10 with 5:14 to play in the third quarter. The drive covered 80 yards in 16 plays.
**The only negative for the Rams was Nacua leaving with a chest injury after a jet sweep for a first down.
**Kamara then fumbled it away with Nate Landman punching the ball out and Kamren Kinchens recovering at the Los Angeles 48-yard-line.
**It was the ninth turnover in the last three games for the Saints. The Rams would capitalize on the giveaway.
**The Rams had 394 yards through three quarters to 140 for the Saints. Los Angeles had the ball for 33:26 to 11:34 for the Saints.
**The Saints ran a total of three plays in the third quarter.
**Kyren Williams made 34-10 with a 1-yard touchdown run with 12:40 to play in the game to cap a 10 play, 52-yard drive.
**Shough engineered a good drive, reaching the Los Angeles 7-yard-line. On fourth-and a long yard, the Saints elected to pull Shough, using Hill at quarterback. Predictably, he ran right. Predictably, with no blocking, he was stopped in his tracks and the Saints came up empty.
**Fuaga left the game injured in the fourth quarter, replaced by Asim Richards.
**Shough then avoided pressure, felt more pressure and threw an interception to Forbes Jr. The throw was late and it was right to Emmanuel Forbes.
**Carl Granderson committed a personal foul facemask penalty to add to the misery.
**It was the first win for the Rams against an NFC team this season.

   The Rams dominated in all phases.

   Los Angeles forced two turnovers and committed none.

   The Rams controlled the ball for 43:53 and had 438 yards to just 224 for the Saints, who had the ball for just 16:07. All indications are that it was the largest time of possession differential in the league thus far this season.

   Los Angeles was more physical and was faster.

   If you are searching for positives, Shough showed he can stand tall, wait for things to develop and can make the throws, despite the late interception.

   As the Saints public relations department tweeted, Demario Davis has now made at least 80 tackles in 13 consecutive seasons, remarkable consistency. He always plays, plays hard and plays well. The 13-year streak is the third-longest in the league currently, joining linebacker Bobby Wagner of the Commanders (14 straight seasons) and linebacker Lavonte David of Tampa Bay (13 straight seasons).

   The New Orleans offense sputtered early then could never get in a rhythm because they hardly had the ball.

   The New Orleans defense could not stop the run or pass and got pushed around. In position to make tackles, they missed often.

   If you thought next week’s game at Carolina was a potential win, consider this. The Panthers are now 6-5, well ahead of the Saints in the rebuilding mode.

   The rest of this season for the Saints is about evaluating players for Kellen Moore and his staff. It is hard to evaluate the staff, at this stage, given what they were given.

   On a day where the New Orleans Pelicans lost a 13th straight game and fell to 0-6 with a 31-point loss at Oklahoma City, the Saints continued their swoon.

   This is a low point for professional sports in New Orleans.

​John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
10/26/2025
By: Terrill J. Weil


   NEW ORLEANS, LA - The (1-6) Saints hosted the (5-2) division leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Super Dome on Sunday afternoon and fell to the Bucs, 23-3.

   The Saints offense struggled against the Tampa defense all day. 

   Spencer Rattler started the game and finished, 15-21 for 136 yards and an interception. Tyler Shough played in the second half, going, 17-30 for 128 yards and an interception.
   
   Alvin Kamara led the team in rushing with 21 yards on six carries.

   Rashid Shaheed led the team with nine catches for 75 yards.

   The defense was led by Demario Davis and Justin Reid with four tackles each. The defense managed three sacks, but weren't able to force any turnovers.
   
   After a scoreless first quarter, the Bucs were the first team to mount a scoring threat. But the New Orleans defense stood tall with a very impressive goal line stand, stuffing Tampa Bay four plays from the one yard line. 

   But a few seconds later, the Saints were facing a second and one from their ten yard line. Spencer Rattler took a deep drop and was intercepted by Anthony Nelson at the four yard line and easily jogged into the end zone. With 6:41 left in the second quarter, Tampa Bay led, 7-0.

   The Saints managed to drive deep into Tampa territory late in the quarter, but had to settle for a 48 yard Blake Grupe field goal with only 11 seconds left on the clock after the drive stalled at the Buc's 30 yard line.

   The contest went to the halftime break with Tampa Bay holding a 7-3 advantage. 


   Tampa Bay took the second half kickoff and methodically drove down the field. The ten play, 73 yard drive culminated with a one yard touchdown run by Sean Tucker. 14-3 Buccaneers with 10:12 left in the third quarter. 

   The Bucs extended their lead on a 55 yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin. 17-3, Tampa Bay with 4:02 left in the third.

   With the offense sputtering, Tyler Shough replaced Spencer Rattler at the 3:57 mark of the third quarter to try and spark things. Shough moved the team, but the drive ended when Antoine Winfield pulled the ball out of Chris Olave's hands for an interception. It was a nice pass by Shough right into Olave's hands, but Winfield simply took it away. Tampa Bay took the ball over at mid-field as the third quarter came to an end.

   Tampa Bay took advantage of the turnover, settling for a 52 yard field goal to increase their lead to 20-3 with 14:03 left in the contest.

   With the Saints offense still struggling, the Buccanners were able to pad their lead with another Chase McLaughlin field goal. 23-3, Tampa with 9:32 remaining. 

​   The Buccaneers' defense simply dominated, keeping the Saints reeling all day long. New Orleans turned the ball over four times and Saints quarterbacks were sacked five times. 

   With the loss, New Orleans falls to 1-7.  Next up, the Saints will go on the road to play the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday,
​November 2. Kickoff is set for 3:05 pm CST and will be televised on FOX.

​

Photos Below by: Michael Bacigalupi

​John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
10/19/2025
Article Courtesy of Crescent City Sports
By: Ken Trahan


   It was a rainy, windy day in the Windy City. Fortunately, the field was covered up until two hours before kickoff and the rain stopped before game time.
   
​   The Bears came in leading the NFL with a plus eight in turnover margin. They left the game with a plus 11 margin, courtesy of Spencer Rattler.

   Caleb Williams and Rattler were once college teammates at Oklahoma with Williams winning out in the battle for the starting job.

   While Williams was nothing special Sunday, it is clear he is the better prospect, based on what we saw today.

   The eight-game win streak for the Saints over the Bears is over. Of course, that was expected.

   Rattler had not been the reason the Saints were not winning prior to this afternoon. He was a prime reason the Saints lost today.

   Good teams seem to get the benefit of most calls. Ask the Kansas City Chiefs.

   The Saints did not get a key call but did not do enough to help themselves to have any shot at winning.

   Here are my Quick Takes on the 26-14 Chicago win over New Orleans:

​**Inactives for the Saints included Ugo Amadi, Torricelli Simpkins, Xavier Truss, Jonah Williams, Rezjohn Wright and Isaac Yiadom.
**Blake Grupe continued to struggle on kickoffs, knocking the opening kickoff out of the end zone to give Chicago the ball at its 35-yard-line.
**Chase Young anticipated a quick flat pass and nearly intercepted it on the second play of the game.
**The Saints forced a 3-and-out, getting a stop for the first time in five weeks on the opening possession for an opponent.
**Alvin Kamara gained six yards on a toss-sweep left on the first offensive play for New Orleans. That would prove to be his highlight of the day.
**The good start turned bad quickly.
**Rattler held the ball too long on a pass play, decided to step up and try to run, carried the ball in one hand and was stripped by Motez Sweat. Gervon Dexter Sr. recovered the fumble at the New Orleans 24-yard-line. Rattler did everything wrong, holding the ball too long and holding the ball with one hand, enabling Sweat to strip him.
**Williams fumbled two snaps on the possession, Quincy Riley made a nice tackle in space and Jake Moody had to come on and kicked a 27-yard field goal to give Chicago a 3-0 lead with 9:34 to play in the first quarter.
**The Saints went 3-and-out again on their second possession.
**Young knocked down a second pass attempt from Williams on the next Chicago possession.
**Riley made a huge play, reading Williams, stepping in front of Rome Odunze and intercepting a pass at the Chicago 48-yard-line.
**It did not matter. A poor offense failed to capitalize in any fashion.
**Rashid Shaheed hurt the Saints with a false start, Rattler elected to throw a 1-yard pass to Chris Olave, rather than running for what would have been more yardage, before Blake Grupe missed another field goal, this time from 53 yards.
**As Nick Underhill noted, the Saints were now 1 of 26 on third-and-eight yards to go or longer this season following that possession.
**The New Orleans offense gained 27 yards on 11 snaps in the opening quarter.
**The defense had to defend a short field and held Chicago to a 39-yard field goal by Moody to give the Bears a 6-0 lead with 14:06 to play in the half.
**The Saints killed themselves on the next drive with an illegal formation penalty negating a Rattler run for a first down. Rattler got sacked twice. On both occasions, Kamara was beaten badly in pass protection.
**The Saints were bailed out by a roughing the passer penalty on Jaquan Brisker on a third-and-28, giving New Orleans a first down.
**Rattler then paid the price with another bad throw, behind Mason Tipton and it was intercepted by Nahshon Wright, who returned it to the New Orleans 30-yard-line. Rattler was way late with the throw and way behind Tipton, who was actually open on the play.
**That led to a D’Andre Swift 11-yard touchdown run as Swift scored easily through a gaping hole to give the Bears a 13-0 lead with 9:05 to play in the half, completing a 30-yard, four play drive.
**Oft-injured Kendre Miller left the game early with a knee injury. What else is new?
**Taysom Hill lost nine yards on a quarterback keeper and the Saints went 3-and-out as Rattler went deep for Olave, who returned to the game, but Rattler threw the ball out of bounds, not giving Olave a chance.
**Kai Kroger’s struggles continued as he hit a lousy 31-yard punt.
**Alontae Taylor went out of the game, came back in, and went out again.
**Kyle Monangai scored his first NFL touchdown with a 1-yard run to make it 20-0 with 2:51 to play in the half, finishing a 55-yard drive in eight plays.
**The Saints failed on a fourth-and-one at the Chicago 43-yard-line with 1:38 to play, giving the Bears the ball back.
**Rattler had Juwan Johnson open, threw it behind him but Johnson dropped yet another pass.
**Olave went in motion, Tyrique Stevenson had him in man coverage and Rattler hit Olave in stride for a 57-yard gain. It was just the ninth play of 20 or more yards for the Saints this season.
**The 10th play of 20 or more yards came next as Rattler connected with Olave on a 21-yard touchdown pass on a well-timed, perfect throw to cut the Chicago lead to 20-7 with 22 seconds left in the half.
**The drive covered 91 yards in five plays and took just 46 seconds for New Orleans to score.
**The Saints finished the first half with 104 yards, 91 of which came on the final drive of the half.
**New Orleans continued the momentum to start the second half. The Saints took the kickoff and drove 80 yards in 10 plays with Rattler hitting Olave with a 14-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 20-14 with 9:40 to play in the third quarter. Rattler had completions of 10 and 29 yards to Johnson to set up the score.
**Chicago drove to the New Orleans 2-yard-line and on fourth-and-goal, the Bears decided to go for it. Williams fumbled yet another snap and the Saints apparently had a big stop but a false start was called, giving the Bears a second chance and Moody kicked a 24-yard field goal to make it 23-14 with 4:07 to play in the third quarter.
**The drive covered 66 yards in eight plays.
**Rattler then made another big mistake. While extending a play, he decided to throw deep for Rashid Shaheed but overthrew him badly and Kevin Byard III intercepted it at the Chicago 12-yard-line, the third turnover by the Saints.
**Bryan Bresee and Young combined for the first sack of Williams early in the fourth quarter.
**Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier dialed up a trick play to convert a third-and-20 on a completion to Hill, who then lateraled to Kamara and the play covered 31 yards. Unfortunately, the play was overruled on a successful challenge by Chicago to negate the play. It was extremely close and it was surprising that replay overruled it.
**The Bears increased the lead to 26-14 with a 33-yard field goal by Moody with 6:22 to play in the game to finish off an eight play, 51-yard drive.
**Erik McCoy left the game and Luke Fortner took over at center.
**Rattler threw his third interception of the afternoon and committed his fourth turnover of the game as Tremaine Edmunds picked off an ill-advised throw across his body into three navy blue jerseys, intended for Jack Stoll.
**Chicago got the ball back and the Bears were able to run the clock out.

   The thought here was that Tyler Shough would get his shot after the bye week following week 10. Will his shot come earlier now?

   The Saints are going nowhere fast at 1-6.

   Have they seen enough of Rattler?

   At some point, you have to see what you have in Shough.

   After today’s game, that may become more of a focus for Kellen Moore.

   Defensively, the Saints started well but were awful in the second half against the run, a reminder of who they were a year ago.

   Chicago gashed New Orleans for 220 yards rushing, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Chicago rushed for 13 first downs. When you run it that well and get turnovers, you dominate time of possession. Chicago had the ball for 36:19 to just 23:41 for the Saints. That contributed to the New Orleans defense wearing down against the run.

   Conversely, the Saints cannot run the ball.

   New Orleans rushed for just 44 yards on 17 carries, an average of 2.6 yards per carry. Kamara is not the same player he once was, Miller is hurt again, Hill is still coming back from a serious injury and Devin Neal is a rookie. Still, the offensive line play is a clear part of that failure, just as it was part of Rattler being sacked four times.

   The kicking game remains poor.

   Grupe kicked off in the end zone again and missed a field goal while Kroger hit a 31-yard punt and the return game was nominal.

   We learned nothing new today.

   The Saints are a bad team and remain that way.

   The Saints cannot score.

   The Saints are still below average against the run.

   The Saints kicking game is below average.

   That defines bad.

   The Saints return home to play their first division game against the top dog in Tampa Bay next Sunday.

   The only question now is when Shough will get his shot.

   Though it may not move the needle, it is certainly worth a look in this otherwise predictably forgettable season.

Da Boot Sports
10/12/2025
Article Courtesy of Crescent City Sports
By: Ken Trahan


   The New Orleans Saints were catching the New England Patriots coming off an emotionally and physically draining victory over their biggest rival, the Buffalo Bills.
   
   While one though process is that momentum would carry over, the other thought process was that New England would not be able to match the emotional and physicality of the previous week. Unfortunately for the Saints, the Patriots showed up and played well. As a favorite with better personnel, that was enough to get the job done.

   Drake Maye and former LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte of Westgate High School combined to inflict pain upon the home team.

   Here are my Quick Takes on the 25-19 New England win over New Orleans:

​**Inactives for the Saints included Ugo Amadi, Khristian Boyd, Torricelli Simpkins, Xavier Truss, Rezjohn Wright and Isaac Yiadom
**With Cesar Ruiz active, the Saints had their starting offensive line begin the game for just the second time this season.
**On the first play from scrimmage, Spencer Rattler hit Chris Olave for 53 yards to the New England 22-yard-line.
**The Saints could not full capitalize, doing nothing on the next three downs and Blake Grupe kicked a 34-yard field goal to give New Orleans a 3-0 lead with 12:50 to play in the opening quarter.
**Grupe’s shaky kickoffs continued as he booted the ensuing kickoff in the end zone, giving New England the ball at its own 35-yard-line.
**Drake Maye put New England on top with a 53-yard touchdown pass to DeMario Douglas and it was 7-3 with 10:52 to play in the first quarter. Douglas ran a deep cross and was wide open with only safety Jonas Sanker in pursuit and he missed the tackle. It took just four plays to go 65 yards for the score.
**The Saints had a good drive which reached the New England 3-yard line on a completion from Rattler to Devaughn Vele but Kelvin Banks was flagged for holding, killing the possession. Grupe connected on a 48-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 7-6 with 5:05 to play in the first quarter.
**The Patriots had a 61-yard touchdown pass from Maye to Douglas negated by an offensive pass interference penalty on Stefon Diggs. Maye extended the play and Douglas was wide open.
**It did not matter. On the next play, Quincy Riley committed pass interference penalty on Kyle Williams, giving the Patriots a first down and a gain of 21 yards to midfield.
**Then, Jonathan Bullard was flagged for defensive holding, giving New England another first down.
**Maye hit Boutte with a 25-yard touchdown pass, a perfect throw as Boutte was blanketed by Kool-Aid McKinstry to make it 14-6 with 33 seconds left in the first quarter. McKinstry and Boutte had simultaneous possession and that is always awarded to the offensive player.
**The drive covered 69 yards in six plays.
**The Patriots had 118 yards while the Saints totaled 114 in the first quarter.
**Kevin Banks Jr. went down with 14:10 to play in the first half. Asim Richard replaced him at left tackle briefly. Banks was able to return on the same possession.
**Taysom Hill scored on a 2-yard run to cut the deficit to 14-13 with 9:42 to play in the first half, capping an 11 play, 60-yard drive in 5:51. It was an impressive drive mixing runs and passes.
**Danny Stutsman replaced Pete Werner at linebacker in the second quarter. Werner did not appear to have an injury.
**New England elected to go for a fourth-and-seven at the New Orleans 39-yard-line but a bad snap from center forced Maye to fall on the ball at the New England 47-yard line, a loss of 14 yards on the aborted play.
**Rattler made a very good deep throw in the end zone to Olave against tight coverage, the ball hit Olave in the hands but he failed to make the catch. That led to a 38-yardfield goal by Grupe to give the Saints a 16-14 lead with 1:51 to play in the half. The drive went 27 yards in eight plays, taking 3:59 off the clock.
**Werner returned on the next defensive series.
**The Patriots had plenty enough time to answer and did, driving 73 yards in seven plays, taking just 1:20 with Maye hitting a wide open Boutte for a 29-yard touchdown. Maye snuck in the 2-point conversion to give New England a 22-16 lead with 31 seconds left in the half.
**The only defensive stop for the Saints in the half was on a bad snap, an aborted play.
**New England amassed 217 yards to 188 for the Saints in the half.
**Rattler was 12 of 14 for 129 yards in the half while Maye was 11 of 13 for 185 yards and three touchdowns for a perfect passer rating of 158.3.
**The Saints were penalized for a personal foul face mask penalty on Chris Rumph III, giving New England great field position at its own 43-yard-line.
**The Patriots drove to the New Orleans 1-yard-line but Jonathan Bullard made a tackle for a 4-yard loss, followed by a delay of game penalty and New England settled for a 24-yard field goal by Andy Borregales to increase the lead to 25-16 with 7:26 to play in the third quarter.
**The drive was 12 plays, 50 yards and took 7:34 off the clock, more than half the third quarter.
**Trevor Penning was penalized for holding on the next possession, stopping a promising New Orleans drive.
**Kai Kroger punted, the first punt of the game for either team, and hit an awful 23-yard effort.
**The Saints then got a stop and forced the first punt of the game by New England.
**Erik McCoy committed a false start on the next New Orleans series.
**The Saints cut the deficit to 25-19 on a 54-yard field goal by Grupe with 13:41 to play in the game.
**New Orleans got a stop, got the ball back, Rattler completed a pass to Juwan Johnson for 14 yards to the New Orleans 49-yard-line but he fumbled it away and Craig Woodson recovered for the Patriots, a costly turnover.
**The play was originally ruled down by contact but Mike Vrabel challenged it and won the challenge. It was a close call.
**The Saints got another stop but were unable to mount a drive and had to punt.
**New England got the ball back and the Saints forced a third-and-11 but Maye made a perfect back shoulder throw to Boutte, who was working on McKinstry and the Patriots were able to run out the clock.

   Once again, the Saints competed well.

   Once again, as has been the case many times, the Saints had chances but simply could not finish drives. You are not going to win with 19 points. You are not going to win with one touchdown.

   Rattler played well, completing 20 of 26 passes for 227 yards.

   Olave had six catches for 98 yards but had a chance to make a touchdown catch and did not and had a chance at one other pass.

   The Saints did not run the ball well enough, rushing for just 73 yards.

   After a brutal first half, the New Orleans defense was better in the second half but could not get off the field when it needed to.

   Davon Godchaux had his best game as a Saint, in on seven tackles, including one for a loss against his former team.

   Werner had a sack and another quarterback hit.

   Grupe quieted critics, making all four field goal attempts.


   Maye looks the part of a very good young quarterback. He finished 18 of 26 for 251 yards and three touchdowns and he hurt the Saints with six carries for 32 yards, extending several plays.

   Boutte had five catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns in his return to south Louisiana.

   The Saints had their chances. They simply could not get it done.

   The Saints (1-5) travel to Chicago to face the Bears next Sunday, going against former New Orleans head coach and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, now the defensive coordinator with Chicago.

   Rest assured, Allen will dial up everything in his arsenal to beat his former team.

​   Then again, it is not that tough a task against the 2025 New Orleans Saints. While the Saints are competing hard, the hard truth is they are simply not good enough, though we knew that already.

​   

Da Boot Sports
10/5/2025
Article Courtesy of Crescent City Sports
By: Ken Trahan


   The 2025 New Orleans Saints lacked big plays in their first four games of the season; all were losses. That trend ended Sunday.It did not good look good early as the Giants scored touchdowns on their first two possessions. It looked very good late after the Saints shut out New York the rest of the way.

   The last time the Saints had two touchdowns of 86 yards or more was in 1998 against Minnesota when Aaron Craver had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and Sammy Knight returned an interception 91 yards for a score. Ironically, the Saints lost that game.

   The Saints scored on an 87-yard touchdown pass and an 86-yard fumble recovery and return for a score. That anomaly from another century did not occur Sunday. When you make big plays, you win games. New Orleans came up with huge plays on offense and defense.

   When you win the turnover battle, you typically win games. When you win the turnover battle by a whopping margin of five, you are unquestionably going to win.

   The result was obvious for New Orleans against the New York Giants at the Caesars Superdome. Kellen Moore has his first win as an NFL head coach.

   After 10 straight losses, Spencer Rattler has his first win as an NFL quarterback.

   The Saints won their third straight game in the series with the Giants and evened the all-time series at 17-17.

   Here are my Quick Takes on the 26-14 New Orleans victory over New York:
**Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau were both active for the first time this season.
**Inactives for the Saints included Devin Neal, Isaac Yiadom, Cesar Ruiz, Xavier Truss, Khristian Boyd and Chase Young.
**The Saints won the toss and elected to receive. Hill and Moreau led the “Who Dat?” chant to loud applause.
**The opening kickoff ended up on the ground and Velus Jones Jr. could only return it eight yards to the 9-yard-line.
**The Saints got a false start penalty by Juwan Johnson and went three-and-out as Rattler passed incomplete into traffic twice. Moreau was in on the series.
**Kool Aid McKinstry committed a pass interference penalty to sustain the first drive of the Giants.
**Jacson Dart hit Daniel Bellinger for 18 yards to the New Orleans 1-yard-line.
**On the next play, Dart hit a wide open Theo Johnson for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Giants a 7-0 lead, capping an eight play, 59-yard drive in 4:05. Dart was 5 of 5 for 45 yards and the score on the drive.
**Taysom Hill was back in his familiar up back position calling signals on the first New Orleans punt and he was in on offense, lining up at quarterback on the first play of the second offensive series for the Saints. Rashid Shaheed was penalized for being offside on the play.
**Rattler was picked off but Deonte Banks was flagged for pass interference, a 25-yard penalty, giving the Saints the ball at midfield.
**The Saints continued the drive and reached the New York 10-yard-line and stalled. Blake Grupe kicked a 28-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 7-3 with 1:40 to play in the opening quarter.
**The drive covered 70 yards in 14 plays, taking 7:54 off the clock.
**Bryan Bresee broke up a pass on the next New York possession but Dart scrambled for 20 yards to the New Orleans 24-yard-line to end the first quarter.
**The Giants had 93 yards to just 54 for the Saints through one quarter.
**Justin Reid went out for the game in the first quarter with a concussion. Reid has had several injuries already this season while Julian Blackmon, his running mate, is out for the year. Jordan Howden replaced Reid.
**Dart finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Theo Johnson to give the Giants a 14-3 lead with 13:01 to play in the half.
**The drive covered 70 yards in eight plays, taking 3:39 off the clock.
**It marked the first time since 2020 that the Giants scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of a game and it was the second straight week that Dart, starting just his second game, led the Giants to a touchdown on their first possession.
**New Orleans had a decent drive and Grupe connected on a 53-yard field goal to make it 14-6 with 7:41 to play in the first half. The drive was 12 plays, 49 yards, taking 5:20 off the clock.
**The Saints finally hit the big play as Spencer Rattler connected with Rashid Shaheed on an 87-yard touchdown pass on a deep corner route. Shaheed beat two defenders, with safety Tyler Nubin in pursuit, and the throw was right on the mark. Shaheed outran two defenders for the score to make it 14-13 with 5:16 to play in the half.
**The Giants were flagged for pass interference on consecutive plays. The second was on former Saint Paulson Adebo.
**That lead to a 52-yard field goal attempt by Grupe which he pulled wide left.
**That gave the Giants the ball at their onwn 42-yard-line with 1:25 to play in the half.
**Dart completed a pass to Darius Slayton but Demario Davis forced a fumble and Jonas Sanker returned the fumble to the New York 41-yard-line with 1:02 to play in the half.
**That led to a 29-yard field goal by Grupe on the final play of the half to give the Saints a 16-14 lead at the break. The drive covered 30 yards in eight plays.
**With four catches in the first half, Alvin Kamara now has 590 career receptions, surpassing Tiki Barber and Marcus Allen for fifth all-time in receptions among running backs.
**On the opening drive of the second half, Dart, with an enormous amount of time to throw the ball, simply dropped the ball and Cam Jordan recovered for the Saints at the New Orleans 46-yard-line.
**That gave the Saints the ball with the lead for the first time this season, with 10:52 to play of the third quarter of game five.
**Hill extended the next drive with a third down pass completion to Juwan Johnson for 19 yards to the 7-yard-line of New York after Rattler hit Chris Olave for 19 yards.
**Torricelli Simpkins committed a false start penalty, pushing the ball back to the 12-yard-line and that hurt the possession.
**Grupe kicked a 28-yard field goal to extend the New Orleans lead to 19-14 with 6:55 to play in the third quarter.
**The drive went 44 yards in 10 plays, taking 3:57 off the clock.
**The Giants were driving for a potential go-ahead score and Howden came up with a huge play. Bryan Bresee forced a fumble by Cam Skattebo and Howden picked it up and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown to give the Saints a 26-14 lead.

**Kool Aid McKinstry came up with his first of two turnovers with an interception of Dart on the next possession at the New Orleans 5-yard-line.
**Then, McKinstry secured his second interception of Dart with five minutes to play.
**That marked five consecutive possessions with a turnover for the Giants. The last team to commit a turnover on five straight possessions in the NFL was the New York Jets against Kansas City on Nov. 25, 2016.
**The five turnovers are the most since the Saints came up with five in a win over Chicago on Nov. 5, 2023 when the Saints won 24-17.
**Grupe missed a 46-yard field goal wide right.
**Carl Granderson got a sack of Dart but was flagged for a personal foul. It was a simply terrible call. Granderson did nothing wrong.
**McKinstry broke up a pass in the end zone in the final minute.

   Rattler is the first quarterback drafted by the Saints to win a game since Danny Wuerffel did so in 1998. The second-year pro finished 20 of 30 for 225 yards and a touchdown and rushed six times for 21 yards.

   The secondary, without Blackmon and Reid, was considered a weak spot for the Saints. It was a definitive strength against the Giants. Jonas Sanker missed a potential interception but was good with seven tackles and the fumble recovery.

   McKinstry had a breakthrough game with his two interceptions and broke up a pass in the end zone. Pete Werner led in tackles with 11 and he had a quarterback hit.

   Shaheed had four catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. Kendre Miller ran hard, with 10 carries for 41 yards. Olave had seven catches for 59 yards. The Saints were 7 of 15 on third down conversions.

   Dart, who started in fantastic fashion, was less than fantastic overall. Dart was 26 of 40 for 202 yards and two touchdowns but with two interceptions. He rushed seven times for 55 yards.

   The only negative was the kicking game/special teams for New Orleans, an ongoing issue.

   Coverage teams were not good enough, Grupe missed two more field goals and put a kickoff in the end zone, giving New York the ball at the 35-yard-line. Kickoff returns were abysmal, with poor decisions to field the ball and weak returns.

   Now 1-4, the Saints look for a win streak next Sunday at home against New England.

   For the first time since Nov. 17, 2024, Saints fans could finally chant “Who Dat” toward game’s end, snapping a 6-game home losing streak.

   Enjoy it, Saints fans!
​

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

Post-game press conference Below

Da Boot Sports
9/28/2025
Article Courtesy of Crescent City Sports
By: Ken Trahan


   You probably heard the numbers, and they were daunting. No 0-3 team had beaten a 3-0 team in 17 years.The Saints entered their game at Buffalo as a 15.5 to 16-point underdog, the largest spread of the young NFL season.

   New Orleans caught the Bills in perfect weather fashion, sunny and 73 degrees. The Saints had won four straight games at Buffalo. No one expected the Saints to win. They did not.

   Here are my Quick Takes on the 31-19 Buffalo win over the Saints:

​**Inactives for the Saints were Jonathan Bullard, Devin Neal, Trey Palmer, Dillon Radunz, Xavier Truss, Rejzohn Wright and Chase Young.
**The Saints won the toss and deferred, giving the Bills the ball first.
**That was not a good idea.
**Josh Allen hit Khalil Shakir with a 43-yard touchdown pass to give the Bills a 7-0 lead with 10:49 to play in the opening quarter.
**Demario Davis and Jonas Sanker each missed a tackle on Shakir, who made the catch in the right flat and turned a short pass into a long touchdown.
**The drive covered 79 yards in seven plays, taking 4:11 off the clock.
**The Bills have scored a touchdown on all four opening drives this season, hence questioning the decision to give the Bills the ball first.
**Velus Jones Jr. finally got a chance to return a kickoff and did a good job with a 30-yard return.
**The Saints opened with their projected starting five offensive linemen for the first time this season.
**The Saints had to waste a timeout prior to their second offensive snap of the game.
**Spencer Rattler scrambled for a first down twice to extend the possession.
**Rattler then hit an open Juwan Johnson for 17 yards and a first down.
**Kendre Miller then ran inside, broke three tackles and raced 17 yards for a touchdown to tie the game 7-7 with 6:46 to play in the opening quarter.
**It was the first time in 10 games that the Saints scored a touchdown on their opening drive, dating to last season.
**The drive covered 69 yards in seven plays, taking 4:03 off the clock.
**The Bills answered easily. James Cook scored on a 1-yard run to make it 14-7 with 2:29 to play in the first quarter, completing a 66 yard drive in seven plays. Buffalo had open receivers throughout the drive.
**Cook set a franchise record, scoring a rushing touchdown in his eighth straight game. It was his 21st rushing touchdown since last year, which leads the league.
**Ugo Amadi was flagged for holding on the ensuing kickoff, burying the Saints at their own 13-yard-line.
**Alvin Kamara swept left for 17 yards and a first down. Johnson had a good kickout block on the play.
**Rattler then bought time and hit Rashid Shaheed for 10 yards and a first down.
**Buffalo amassed 145 yards to 106 for the Saints in the opening quarter.
**Rattler was then sacked on consecutive plays to kill the possession for the Saints. On the second sack, Rattler was flagged for intentional grounding, a 16-yard penalty.
**Jonas Sanker then showed out. First, he broke up a pass on an outstanding play before making a great read on a deep ball by Allen intended for Keon Coleman against Isaac Yaidom and Sanker intercepted it at the Buffalo 49-yard-line.
**It was the first turnover of the season for Buffalo and the first interception of Sanker’s career.
**The Saints did nothing with the turnover, going three-and-out as Chris Olave failed to catch what would have been a first down completion from Rattler and had to punt.
**Kai Kroger punted beautifully, downed by Jones at the Buffalo 3-yard-line.
**Pete Werner dropped another potential interception when Allen had his arm hit under pressure from Chris Rumph III.
**The Saints started a second consecutive drive at the Buffalo 49-yard-line.
**Once again, the Saints failed to take full advantage but Blake Grupe, who has been poor previously, nailed a 54-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14-10 with 5:31 to play in the half.
**Jordan came up with his 124th career sack, surpassing Robert Mathis for 20th all-time in NFL history. Allen became the 50th quarterback Jordan has sacked in his illustrious 15-year career.
**Granderson sacked Allen on the next play, forcing a punt.
**New Orleans got the ball at the Buffalo 40-yard-line after a nine-yard punt return by Shaheed.
**Miller followed with a 13-yard run for a first down.
**Cesar Ruiz went down with 1:47 to play in the half with an ankle injury, replaced by Torricelli Simpkins. Ruiz did not return.
**The Saints reached the Buffalo 6-yard-line and on third and goal, Kellen Moore went for a trick play on a reverse to Olave, who then tried to throw a pass to Rattler and Cole Bishop read it and intercepted it to kill the drive. It was the “Philly Special” which worked so well for the Eagles, not so much for the Saints.
**The Saints finished the first half with 117 yards rushing, just 43 passing. Rattler was a big part of it with five carries for 38 yards.
**The Saints finished the half with 160 yards to just 158 for the Bills, who had just 13 yards in the second quarter.
**Kamara ran 12 yards for a first down on a sweep left to start the second half but Rattler threw behind Olave and Olave could not catch it, despite getting his hands on it and the Saints ended up punting.
**The Saints finally broke defensively as the Bills drove 80 yards in nine plays with Allen running it in from five yards out to make it 21-10 with 6:42 to play in the third quarter.
**New Orleans answered with an outstanding drive of 65 yards in 11 plays with Rattler hitting Olave with a 3-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-16 with 14 seconds left in the third quarter.
**Moore elected to go for two and ran Rattler behind a three tight-end setup but Rattler came up a yard short.
**The Bills had 248 yards while the Saints had 240 yards of offense after three quarters.
**Granderson made a huge stop on a fourth-and-one at the New Orleans midfield.
**The Saints had a chance to take the lead with another good drive but on third down, Rattler threw behind an open Brandin Cooks in the end zone. Cooks reached back for the poor throw with one hand, brought it back toward his body and pulled it in. Initially, it was ruled a touchdown but upon replay review, the call was overturned. It was a big miss by Rattler.
**Grupe kicked a 35-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 21-19 with 8:53 to play in the game. The drive covered 32 yards in nine plays.
**Grupe then failed to kick the ensuing kickoff in the required zone, giving the Bills the ball at their own 40-yard-line. It was the second time he has done so this year and it simply cannot happen.
**Allen came up with a 27-yard run on third-and-five.
**On the next play, Allen hit Dalton Kincaid with a 28-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-19 with 7:07 to play in the game. It was Kincaid’s first catch of the game. It took the Bills just four plays to go 60 yards, taking advantage of the good field position.
**The Saints had a fourth-and-two at the Buffalo 41-yard-line, went for it but Rattler felt pressure, threw it short of the sticks to Kamara and he was stopped, giving the ball back to Buffalo with just under six minutes left in the game.
**Bryan Bresee collected his first sack of the season, getting Allen on the ensuing series to force a punt. It marked the first time Allen was sacked more than twice in 17 games.
**It did not matter. Nephi Sewell committed an obvious roughing the kicker penalty with 5:11 to play to finish the Saints, who had used all their timeouts.
**Matt Prater finished the scoring with a 35-yard field goal.
**Rattler was sacked twice on the final offensive series of the game for the Saints.

   There were some good things for the Saints.

   The pass rush was good, producing three sacks.

   Sanker was outstanding, producing five tackles, three passes broken up and an interception.

   Jordan had four tackles, including a sack, a tackle for loss and two quarterback hits.

   Granderson had five tackles, including a sack, two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss.

   Kroger punted well, averaging 47.3 yards per punt with two punts downed inside the 20-yard-line.

   Jones returned kickoffs effectively.

   New Orleans ran the ball quite well, to the tune of 189 yards. Kamara, Miller and Rattler all ran the ball solidly.

   Rattler continues to play solidly enough to not get his team beat but continues to not make plays that have to be made if a below average team is going to win a game. He is now 0-10 as a starting quarterback for the Saints.

   Much like he missed an open Olave in the end zone against San Francisco, he missed an open Cooks in the end zone today. These are throws that have to be made. He finished 18 of 27 but for just 126 yards with a touchdown. He did not turn the ball over.

   The Saints caught Buffalo not playing its best football and competed well. New Orleans had a chance in the fourth quarter for the third time in four games.

   The Saints limp home at 0-4 to take on another lowly team, the New York Giants and rookie quarterback Jackson Dart, who will be making just his second NFL start.

   That’s the good news.

   The bad news is that the Giants got their first win, upsetting the Chargers 21-18. Unfortunately, former LSU star Malik Nabers reportedly suffered a torn ACL in the game.

   Moore is the first Saints coach to start 0-4 since Tom Fears did so in the inaugural season of the franchise in 1967.

   The watch continues.

   When will Rattler win his first game?

   When will Moore win his first game?

   That is the mantra of a last-place team.
​

Post Game Press Conference

​John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
9/21/2025
Article Courtesy of Crescent City Sports
By: Ken Trahan


   It was hard to watch. I feel bad for those that faithfully did so from start to finish Sunday.
   
   The New Orleans Saints went with their “whiteout” look at Lumen Field.

   From a symbolic perspective, the color rush uniform represented waving the white flag before this one even started. These Saints surrendered, figuratively. Then, they surrendered literally.

   The Seahawks had lost seven of their last eight games at home.

   The Saints were the panacea, a true remedy for those losing ways.

   Enjoying themselves immensely were Klint Kubiak, John Benton and Andrew Janocko and Michael Byrne. All four were on the staff of Dennis Allen in New Orleans last season. Kubiak certainly enjoyed calling plays against this Saints defense.

   As for rookie New Orleans coach Kellen Moore, it was a bitter homecoming. The Prosser, Washington native no doubt enjoyed returning to his original home state but no doubt did not enjoy watching his team perform so poorly.

   Moore and his staff must absorb blame as well.

   On this day, this was not a well-prepared team. This was not a well-coached team. This was not a disciplined team. Then again, this is not a talented NFL team.

   The result was a direct result of all of the above.

   Here are my quick takes on the 44-13 Seattle win over the Saints:


**Inactives for the Saints were Khristian Boyd, Taliese Fuaga, Trey Palmer, Devin Neal, Dillon Radunz, Devaughn Vele and Chase Young.

**Cam Jordan started and played in his 229th career game, surpassing Drew Brees for the most games played in franchise history.

**Torricelli Simpkins started at left guard while Asim Richards started at right tackle.

**The Saints took the opening kickoff and drove to the Seattle 45-yard-line. On third down, Rattler threw short and a bit errant for Juwan Johnson. Kellen Moore elected to go for it on fourth-and-two. Rattler rolled right and had Alvin Kamara open deep but overthrew him, a big miss.

**The Saints got a stop and it did not matter as Bryan Bresee committed a personal foul well after a play, a terrible mistake. That came just after Bresee had a shot at a sack of Sam Darnold and missed him.

**That led to a 12-yard touchdown pass from Darnold to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The drive covered 55 yards in six plays, taking 2:32 off the clock. Jonas Sanker was the closest defender to Smith-Njigba.

**Tight end Jack Stoll had his first catch as a Saint on the next series, an 8-yard completion.

**Then, Moore went for his “tush push” play on fourth and less than a yard from the New Orleans 38-yard-line. Simpkins committed a false start which was actually a good thing as Rattler came up short and the Saints had to punt.

**Tory Horton then returned Kai Kroger’s punt 95 yards for a touchdown. He was untouched as the coverage was simply awful and Seattle took a 14-0 lead with 7:31 to play in the first quarter.


**It was the first punt return for a touchdown in 10 years for Seattle. It was also the longest punt return in Seahawks history. Nehemiah Pritchett appeared to get away with a block in the back adding to the misery.

**Kelvin Banks and Chris Olave then committed false start penalties, followed by a hold against Banks to start the next offensive series. The Saints actually committed another rholding penalty, this one on Richards, but it was mercifully declined and the Saints had to punt.

**Anthony Bell came off the edge, completely unblocked, and blocked Kroger’s next punt attempt. It was a complete blown protection scheme, giving Seattle the ball at the New Orleans 11-yard-line. It was the first punt the Saints had blocked since 2011.

**Justin Reid went down on the next play, leaving the game and Kool Aid McKinstry also left. Both were evaluated for concussions but were cleared to return.

**Kenneth Walker III scored on a 3-yard run on the next play to make it 21-0 with 4:22 to play in the opening quarter.

**The 21 points were the most scored in a first quarter by the Seahawks since 2006.

**For the second straight week, Rattler had an interception negated by a penalty which sustained a drive for New Orleans.

**The Saints outgained Seattle 94 yards to 54 yards in the opening quarter and possessed the ball for 12 minutes to just three minutes for the Seahawks and New Orleans trailed 21-0.

**The Sains mounted a drive covering 65 yards in 16 plays but it stalled. Blake Grupe kicked a 27-yard field goal to make it 21-3 with 12:47 to play in the first half.


**The Saints then allowed a 60-yard kickoff return by Dareke Young to the New Orleans 38-yard-line.

**Horton caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Darnold two plays later to extend the lead to 28-3 with 11:18 to play in the half. Horton whipped McKinstry.

**Devon Godchaux then committed a roughing the passer penalty. Of course, Darnold still completed a 45-yard pass to Smith-Njigba, who whipped McKinstry, making it a 60-yard gain on the play.

**That led to a 1-yard touchdown by Walker and it was 35-3 with 7:42 to play in the half. The drive covered 76 yards in four plays. It was easy, way too easy.

**Banks committed yet another false start.

**Grupe then continued his poor season, missing a 52-yard field goal wide right.

**While Grupe could not make a 52-yard effort, Jason Myers nailed a 56-yard effort to make it 38-3 with 1:29 to play in the half.

**The largest deficit for the Saints in the Sean Payton era was 21 points.

**New Orleans drove to the Seattle 6-yard-line. On the final play of the half, Grupe kicked a 22-yard field goal to make it 38-6 at halftime.

**The 38 points were the most allowed by the Saints in the first half in the 59-year history of the franchise.

**The Saints had 206 yards to 177 for Seattle in the half.

**New Orleans had eight penalties for 62 yards in the half, continuing the parade of mistakes which have plagued the team in all three games.


**The second half began the same way. Somehow, Nathan Shepherd managed to commit a holding penalty on a run play by Seattle.

**Somehow, the Saints got a stop.

**Somehow, Reid was offside, make that way offside as he blocked a field goal attempt. With a second chance, Myers nailed a 46-yard attempt to increase the lead 41-6 with 11:29 to play in the third quarter.

**Myers capped another drive with a 37-yard field goal to make it 44-6 with 4:39 to play in the third quarter.

**The Saints finally scored a touchdown on the first play of the first quarter as Rattler, scrambling right, found Stoll in the back of the end zone with a 13-yard touchdown pass, the first touchdown of Stoll’s career, to make it 44-13 with 14:53 to play in the game.

**The drive covered 80 yards in 11 plays, taking 4:46 off the clock.

**Drew Lock took over for Seattle at quarterback, at that point.

**Seattle punted for the first time with 13 minutes to play in the game.

**Rashid Shaheed returned a punt 40 yards to the Seattle 44-yard-line.

**Rattler committed his first turnover of the season on a fourth down play as Derion Kendrick picked off a throw as he was rolling right and nearing the boundary.

**Rookie Quincy Riley forced a fumble with a hard hit on George Holani and Pete Werner recovered with 3:31 to play in the game.


**Tyler Shough entered the game for his first NFL action and his first two passes were incomplete, forcing a punt.

**New Orleans finished with 11 penalties for 77 yards and Seattle declined two other infractions. That trend continues.

   Rattler finished 28 of 39 for 217 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Chris Olave had 10 catches but for only 57 yards.

   This offense has no explosiveness, whatsoever.

   The longest play from scrimmage was a 21-yard completion from Rattler to Johnson. That was the only play in excess of 20 yards for New Orleans.

   The Saints have scored just 47 points in three games.

​   It is the first 0-3 start for the Saints since 2016. It was also the seventh straight loss for New Orleans, dating to last year.

   It was the first game since Oct. 2, 2022 that Seattle scored 40 or more points in a game when the Seahawks beat Detroit 48-45.

   Where do you go from here?

   It is certainly a learning experience for Moore, the youngest head coach in the league in his first head coaching position.

   Any objective observer realized this would be a rebuilding season resulting in a poor record for the Saints.
 
   Did anyone see it being this bad already?

   Perhaps some did.

   The Saints were competitive in losses to Arizona and San Francisco.

   They were not competitive, in any way, at Seattle.

   I thought and stated that this team could win five or six games and that would be acceptable progress, given the circumstances.

   Based on what we saw today, reaching that number of wins seems improbable, at best.

​

Da Boot Sports
9/14/2025
Article Courtesy of Crescent City Sports
By: Ken Trahan


   In a season which figures to be a long, perhaps very long one for the New Orleans Saints, you were looking for improvement Sunday against San Francisco.
   
   In fact, with the 49ers dealing with an abundance of key players injured and without their starting quarterback, the Saints had a realistic shot at pulling an upset Sunday at Caesars Superdome.

   Instead, the team and its fans left upset after a solid effort which simply was not good enough.

   For the 2025 New Orleans Saints to win a game, much less games, they have to be near perfect.

   With seven penalties, a missed field goal and a turnover, that was not the case despite some positive signs.

   When healthy, San Francisco is markedly better than the Saints.

   Not healthy, that margin was thin.

   Of course, the Saints had a few key players out as well.

   The result was predictable.

​   The 49ers won a close, competitive game.

   For the second straight week, the Saints had to play from behind all afternoon which is hard to do.

   For the second straight week, the Saints lost, this time 26-21 to the 49ers.


   Here are my Quick Takes:
**Saints inactives included Kristian Boyd, Jonathan Bullard, Trey Palmer, Trevor Penning, Xavier Truss, Rezjohn Wright and Chase Young.
**After a penalty on Taliese Fuaga on the first series of the game, Spencer Rattler connected with Rashid Shaheed on a perfectly thrown 39-yard completion to the San Francisco 26-yard-line. Shaheed was interfered with and still caught the outstanding throw.
**Rattler then missed a wide open Chris Olave for what would have been a 26-yard touchdown pass. It was a poor throw, well behind Olave.
**Blake Grupe, who missed a 37-yard field goal in week one, missed a 40-yard attempt wide right.
**The New Orleans defense forced a 3-and-out with Alontae Taylor breaking up a Mac Jones pass on third down.
**Juwan Johnson dropped a pass on the next possession after Alvin Kamara ran twice for 21 yards and the Saints had to punt.
**Isaac Yiadom committed a pass interference penalty on the next San Francisco series to extend the drive as he interfered with Jauan Jennings.
**Carl Granderson got a sack after Bryan Bresee had Jones in his grasp to slow him down.
**Fadil Diggs then committed an illegal hands to the face penalty.
**San Francisco took a 6-0 lead with 3:25 to play in the opening quarter as Jones hit Luke Farrell with an 11-yard touchdown pass. The drive covered 14 plays, 80 yards in 7:56. Newly signed Eddy Pineiro missed the extra point wide right.


**The next possession was killed by a holding penalty against Erik McCoy, negating a first down scramble by Rattler.
**Johnson then dropped another pass, his third in two weeks.
**The Niners mounted another drive and Pineiro kicked a 44-yard field goal to extend the lead to 9-0 with 11:23 to play in the first half. The drive covered nine plays, 39 yards, taking 5:02 off the clock.
**Rattler was sacked by Upton Stout on the first play of the next drive as Kamara missed the attempted block on the blitzing cornerback.
**Granderson got a sack on the next San Francisco possession.
**The Saints cut the deficit to 9-7 with 1:14 to play in the half as Rattler hit Johnson with an 18-yard touchdown pass. The throw was excellent, as was the catch. Upon replay review, the call was upheld. The drive covered 12 plays, 84 yards, taking 5:34 off the clock.
**The momentum died quickly. The New Orleans defense came up empty, allowing the 49ers to drive 77 yards in nine plays, taking just 1:07 for Jones to hit Christian McCaffrey with a 7-yard touchdown pass to give San Francisco a 16-7 lead with seven seconds left in the half. It was simply a poor defensive series.
**San Francisco finished the half with 192 yards to 155 for the Saints.
**Grupe’s struggles continued. He mishit the second half kickoff, short of the prescribed landing zone, giving San Francisco the ball at its 40-yard-line.
**Kool Aid McKinstry then sustained the drive with an illegal hands-to-the-face penalty when the Saints had stopped San Francisco.


**Justin Reid went down hurt on the next play, replaced by Terrell Burgess. Reid was able to return.
**Jones was hit by Chris RumphII, he fumbled and Demario Davis recovered at the San Francisco 47-yard-line.
**New Orleans reached the San Francisco 21-yard-line and on fourth-and-one, Rattler kept it and converted a first down, running left with a 3-yard run to sustain the drive.
**The Saints took advantage with Rattler hitting Rashid Shaheed with a 3-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 16-14 with 7:11 to play in the third quarter. The drive covered 47 yards in 10 plays, taking 5:08 off the clock.
**San Francisco responded with a 46-yard field goal by Pineiro to expand the lead to 19-14 with 3:20 to play in the third quarter. The drive went 49 yards in eight plays, taking 3:51 off the clock.
**Rattler continued to play well, completing 14 straight passes but on a short completion to Kamara, the star running back fumbled it away when hit by Fred Warner, who also recovered it and San Francisco was given the ball upon replay with the initial call of Kamara being down by conduct overturned.
**San Francisco took advantage, driving to score as Jones hit Jennings with a 42-yard touchdown pass to give the 49ers a 26-14 lead with 12:18 to play in the game.
**The Saints fought back, driving 71 yards in 13 plays with Rattler throwing his third touchdown pass, a 3-yard completion to Devaughn Vele to make it 26-21 with 6:18 to play in the game.
**Bryan Bresee batted down a pass to help the Saints get a needed stop.
**Unfortunately, the Saints went 3-and-out with Rattler getting sacked on third down by Nick Bosa.


**Needing a stop, the Saints got it and forced a San Francisco punt.
**New Orleans had to start at its own 6-yard line with 2:40 to play in the game.
**The Saints moved it to their own 43-yard-line but on fourth-and-two, Rattler was sacked and fumbled to clinch the win for San Francisco. Bryce Huff beat Taliese Fuaga off the corner and Bosa got there as well with simply no pass protection.

   Kamara narrowly missed recording the 12th career 100-yard rushing game of his illustrious career, rushing 21 times for 99 yards.

   Kamara added six catches for 21 yards but had the crucial lost fumble.

   It was the first game in which Rattler has thrown for multiple touchdowns. He missed an easy touchdown throw early to Olave but played well after that. The second-year pro finished 25 of 34 passing for 206 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers for a very good Quarterback Rating of 118.

   Rattler was sacked three times and the Saints sacked Jones three times. Each team had a turnover.

   Davis played well again, once again leading the Saints in tackles with 11. Granderson had seven tackles, including two sacks.

   It was the first time the Saints have scored 20 points in nine games, dating to last season.

   Despite showing some improvement, it came against a San Francisco team which came in banged up and lost its fullback and a starting guard in the game.

   The Saints make the long trip to Seattle next week to face the Seahawks, who won at Pittsburgh 31-17 in impressive fashion.

​

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

Da Boot Sports
9/7/2025
By: David Penn


   NEW ORLEANS, LA - The Saints (0-1) opened the season in the Caesar’s Superdome on Sunday and the 2025 edition of the New Orleans Saints is underway. The Saints ultimately lost to the Cardinals (1-0), but it wasn’t all bad news.

   Arizona opened up the scoring with a field goal in the first quarter, but the Saints would go ahead 7-3 on an 18 yard scamper by Alvin Kamara.

   The Cardinals would score a pair of touchdowns before the half and took a 20-10 lead into the intermission.

   In the second half the only scoring allowed was a field goal by each team, which provided the final margin of 20-13.    
   Throughout the game, penalties and discipline seemed to be the biggest hindrances to the Saints. The black and gold were flagged 13 times for 89 yards. The Cardinals were flagged 9 times for 54 yards, including a penalty that wiped away a  Cardinals interception.
    
   Spencer Rattler started for the Saints and did well managing the game, Rattler didn’t turn the ball over and as the contest went on, seemed to get more comfortable with the flow of the game. Rattler fired a pass to tight end Juwan Johnson that would have tied the game, but was punched out as Johnson hit the ground. Rattler finished the day 27/46 for 214 yards and also added 29 yards rushing on 4 attempts.
    
   Alvin Kamara scored the Saints lone touchdown and had 11 carries for 41 yards. The Saints receiving core was led by Johnson who hauled in 8 catches for 76 yards. Chris Olave made his return to the field and had 7 receptions for 54 yards. Rasheed Shahid also returned for the black and gold and caught 6 passes for 33 yards, Shahid’s was also instrumental in the return game.
    
   The defense was stout for the most part. Aside from one explosive play, the Saints consistently pressured Kyler Murray and logged 5 sacks. There were no turnovers in the game. The Saints defense held the Cardinals offense to an average of 4.6 yards per play. Cam Jordan and Carl Granderson each logged 1.5 sacks. Kool-aid McKinstry did give up a big play to Marvin Harrison Jr but bounced back well after and logged 7 tackles.
    
   The Saints will host the San Francisco 49ers on September 14th, who are fresh off their season opening win over the Seattle Seahawks. Kickoff for the game will be at noon.

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

​John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
9/3/2025
By: Terrill J. Weil


   NEW ORLEANS, LA - Kellen Moore has his daily press conference to discuss the season opener and answer questions from the media. Starting quarterback Spencer Rattler also met with the media.

​   Video of the press conference is posted below.

​John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
9/2/2025
Article Courtesy of New Orleans Saints
​By: Staff


   The New Orleans Saints will debut their new "Gameday Golds" alternate uniform during the team’s Week 1 home opener against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, September 7, 2025.

   Presented by Caesars New Orleans, a Patron Saints Partner, the "Gameday Golds" are part of the ongoing effort to enhance the Saints' gameday experience. This will mark the first time since 2002 that the team takes the field in gold jerseys. The updated design offers a modern twist on the original look, honoring the team's history while ushering in a new chapter for the franchise.

   As part of the uniform rollout, the Saints will host a Prize Hour Jersey Drop presented by Caesars Sportsbook on Monday, September 1 through Thursday, September 4. Each day, fans will have the opportunity to win one of 10 autographed Cam Jordan gold jerseys during a fast-paced 10-minute giveaway window at 12:00 PM.

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​

Da Boot Sports
9/2/2025
Courtesy of New Orleans Saints
​By: Staff


   Here are your Five Things to Know about the New Orleans Saints for Monday, Sept. 1
   1. It's game week as the Saints prepare to take on the Arizona Cardinals in the Caesars Superdome on Sept. 7. The team is not scheduled to practice, however, Coach Kellen Moore will speak with the media around 1 p.m. and Saints fans can watch live on NewOrleansSaints.com or on Saints YouTube, X or Facebook channels.

   2. The locker room will be open to the media so check back for any player interviews from open locker room.

   3. Saints fans can expect a new episode of the New Orleans Saints Podcast where Erin Summers will speak with a guest about the upcoming Saints season.


   4. Saints fans can take a trip down memory lane and catch a broadcast of Walking Together Forever: The Story of the 2009 Saints on the Gulf Coast Sports and Entertainment Network at noon.

​   5. It is the final week to join us for the 2025 Saints Kickoff Run presented by Hancock Whitney. With just five days until the race hosted on Saturday, Sept. 6 prior to the Saints home opener on Sept. 7, the run will start in Champions Square and finishing on the 50-yard line of the Caesars Superdome. A post-race party with live entertainment and a beer garden will take place in Champions Square. Saints will also host a Kids Fun Run presented by Ochsner Children's at 9:15 a.m.

​John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
8/26/2025
Article courtesy of Crescent City Sports
By: CCS Staff


   New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced today that the club has acquired OL Asim Richards (pronounced AH-sum) from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for future considerations. Richards, 6-4, 307, has appeared in 21 games with one start for Dallas over the past two seasons after originally being selected in the fifth round (169th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft out of North Carolina.
   
​   Additionally, the club made the following roster moves to reach the National Football League-mandated reduction to 53 players.
   

     The Saints have terminated the contracts of the following five players:
   S - Terrell Burgess
   RB - Clyde Edwards-Helaire
   G/C - Shane Lemieux
   WR - Dante Pettis
   DE - Jonah Williams


      The Saints have waived the following 15 players:
   WR - Kevin Austin Jr.
   CB - Dalys Beanum
   S - Elliott Davison
   DE - Fadil Diggs
   DE - Isaiah Foskey
   QB - Jake Haener
   LB - D’Marco Jackson
   T - Easton Kilty
   CB - Rico Payton
   DT - Jayden Peevy
   CB - Jayden Price
   LB - Nephi Sewell
   K - Charlie Smyth
   TE - Treyton Welch
   RB - Marcus Yarns


         The club also placed the following three players on Injured Reserve:
   DT - John Ridgeway III
   T - Barry Wesley
   T - Landon Young


          Finally, two players were placed on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list:
   TE - Taysom Hill
   TE - Foster Moreau

   **NOTE: NFL players on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list can return to practice after a minimum of four games of the regular season, provided they are placed on the reserve/PUP list. Once cleared to practice, a player then has a 21-day window to be activated to the 53-man roster. If the 21-day period expires without the player being activated, they must remain on the PUP list for the remainder of the season


   Beginning Wednesday, the Saints may establish a practice squad of up to 17 players (one extra spot available through the league’s International Pathway Program).
   On Sunday, September 7, the Saints will open up the regular season at 12:00 p.m. CT, facing the Arizona Cardinals at the Caesars Superdome on CBS.

Da Boot Sports
8/26/2025
Article Courtesy of Crescent City Sports
By: CCS Staff


   NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore announced Tuesday that second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler will start in the team’s regular-season opener against the Arizona Cardinals on September 7 at the Caesars Superdome.
   The decision follows a closely contested quarterback competition with rookie Tyler Shough during the preseason.

   “We’re not getting into this QB debate throughout the season. Spencer’s our starting quarterback. Tyler’s gonna continue to develop,” Moore noted.
   Rattler, a 2024 fifth-round draft pick who went 0-6 as a starter in his rookie season, started the Saints’ final preseason game against the Denver Broncos, completing 5 of 8 passes for 43 yards and leading two field-goal drives. The South Carolina product made two preseason starts compared to one by Shough.
​

​John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
8/23/2025
By: Terrill J. Weil


   NEW ORLEANS, LA - The Saints (0-2-1), concluded their preseason with a 28-19 loss to the Denver Broncos. The biggest question going into the season opener next week will be, who will start at quarterback? Neither Spencer Rattler or Tyler Shough have been able to out-play the other, putting up very similar stats.  

  
 QUARTERBACKS:
   Spencer Rattler had an average day, finishing 5-8 for 43 yards. He led the Saints on two scoring drives that ended with field goals.

   Tyler Shough finished his day going 12-20 for 102 yards with a rushing touchdown.

   Jake Haener went 5-9 for 37 yards.
 

 GAME NOTES:
   *The defense gave up 103 yards rushing.

   *Cornerback Quincy Riley had a big interception to end a long Denver drive. 

   *The Saints once again failed to rushed for over 100 yards, finishing with 76 on the day.

​   *Rejzohn Wright and Jonas Sanker both led the team in tackles with nine each.

   *Jasheen Davis and Khistian Boyd each registered a sack.

   *Offensive Lineman Landon Young was carted off the field late in the second quarter with an injury.

   *The defense gave up 396 total yards of offense. 

 
 THE GAME:
​   
   New Orleans got on the scoreboard first, as they drove 23 yards in six plays culminating in a 56 yard field goal by Blake Grupe. 3-0 Saints. 

   Denver answered with a nice long drive to tie the game at 3-3. The Broncos moved the ball 39 yards in 12 plays, ending with a 32 yard field goal by Will Lutz. 

   The Saints responded to retake the lead with a nine play, 26 yard drive. Another Grupe field goal put New Orleans up, 6-3, late in the first quarter. 

   The lead changed hands again, as Denver moved 72 yards in ten plays, taking the lead on a 19 yard touchdown pass from Bo Nix to Courtland Sutton. 10-6, Broncos with 13:36 left in the first half.

   The Saints gave Denver great field position for their next drive, turning the ball over on downs on their own 36 yard line. The Broncos took advantage, adding a 29 yard field goal by Lutz. 13-6, Denver with 6:35 remaining in the second quarter.

   Tyler Shough entered the game for New Orleans on their next possession. Shough drove the Saints to a score, moving 40 yards in ten plays, culminating with a 48 yard field goal by Blake Grupe to cut the Denver lead to 13-9 with 1:51 left in the first half. 

   Denver quickly moved the ball deep into Saints territory, but had to settle for a Will Lutz 25 yard field goal, extending the lead to 16-9 with only 13 seconds remaining until halftime. 

   Denver moved deep into Saints territory on their first offensive possession of the second half, but the New Orleans defense came up with their first turnover of the day, when Quincy Riley intercepted a tipped pass to end the long, time consuming Denver drive. 

   The Saints returned the favor quickly, when Que Robinson sacked and slapped the ball loose from Tyler Shough. Denver recovered the ball on the New Orleans 19 yard line.  

   Denver turned the Shough fumble into a score when Audric Estime powered into the end zone from five yards out. After a failed two point conversion attempt, Denver now lead, 22-9 with 3:00 left in the third quarter.

   Shough led the Saints on their best drive of the day, going 77 yards in 14 plays, ending with an 11 yard touchdown run by Shough. The score cut the Denver lead to 22-16 with 13:19 left in the contest. 

   Denver then drove into Saints territory, but turned the ball over on downs when Ehlinger was sacked by Jasheen Davis on 4th and six at the New Orleans 42. 

   Jake Haener entered the game as the Saints took the ball over, first and ten and mid-field. Haener was able to drive the team into Denver territory, setting up a Charlie Smyth 52 yard field goal. The Saints now trailed 22-19 with 7:09 left in the contest. 

   Denver responded with a nice drive, moving 79 yards in 14 plays, culminating with a five yard touchdown pass from Sam Ehlinger to Kyrese Rowan. The scoring pass was a prayer thrown up by Ehlinger who was scrambling for his life, under extreme pressure. The two point conversion attempt failed as Denver now led, 28-19 with 2:14 left in the contest.

   Kellen Moore will need to make his final roster cut down by Tuesday August 26 by noon.

   The Saints will open up the 2025 season at home in the Dome against Arizona on Sunday, September 7 at noon. 

​   

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

​John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.