 Photo By: Stephen Lew Da Boot Sports 11/30/2025 Article Courtesy of Crescent City Sports By: Ken Trahan The memory lingers. The New Orleans Saints won Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7, 2010 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. It is the memory of a lifetime. As it pertains to the 2025 New Orleans Saints and the state of the organization, it is a distant, fading memory. These Saints are a poor team, in a total rebuilding mode now. With limited talent, it is a team that cannot afford to play from behind and cannot afford to make mistakes. The Saints made mistakes and had to play from behind. They came within a hair of getting even or even winning it late. They did not. The losing continues. Here are my Quick Takes from the 21-17 victory for Miami over the Saints: **Inactives for New Orleans were Ugo Amadi, Khristian Boyd, Alvin Kamara Zaire Mitchell-Paden, John Ridgeway III, Barry Wesley and Rejzohn Wright. **The Saints won the toss and deferred, giving Miami the ball first. **Justin Reid went down injured on the first play of the game with a knee injury. **Cam Jordan recorded his 127th sack, getting to Tua Tagovailoa on the opening series. With the sack, Jordan passed Derrick Thomas for 18th all-time in NFL history in sacks. **It did not matter. The Dolphins went 69 yards in six plays, taking 2:41 off the clock and ran at will against the New Orleans defense with De’Von Achane scoring on a 29-yard run around the right side in untouched fashion. It was simply lousy run defense and Miami led 7-0 with 11:19 to play in the opening quarter. **Meanwhile, the Saints were completely ineffective offensively, going three-and-out two straight times. **Jordan then got his 128th sack to stop another possession, tying Rickey Jackson for 17th all-time in NFL history. **Jordan now has 30 career games with two or more sacks, one of just 21 players in NFL history to accomplish that feat. **Shough was sacked on the third possession. **The Dolphins had 132 yards to just 21 for the Saints in the opening quarter. **In 27 first quarter drives this season, the Saints have scored just one touchdown. New Orleans has been outscored 92-19 in the first quarter. **Miami increased the lead to 10-0 on a 39-yard field goal by Riley Patterson with 14:09 to play in the first half. The drive covered 69 yards in eight plays. **The Saints made their initial first down on a run by Evan Hull early in the second quarter. **Shough was sacked on a blindside sack by Minkah Fitzpatrick as DeVaughn Vele failed to pick up a blitz, Shough fumbled and Zach Seiler recovered for Miami. **Kool Aid McKinstry intercepted Tagovailoa on the next play on a deep pass to the end zone intended for Jaylen Waddle. It was the 14th interception thrown by Tagovailoa, which leads the NFL. It was the third interception of the season for McKinstry. **Of course, the Saints went three-and-out again. **Michael Davis then committed a 15-yard penalty for fair catch interference, giving Dolphins the ball at the Miami 49-yard-line. **It became 13-0 on a 25-yard field goal by Patterson with 6:07 to play in the half. The drive covered 44 yards in 10 plays. **Shough made a poor read and was picked off by Rasul Douglas, who returned it to the New Orleans 42-yard-line. It was the fourth interception by Miami this season. Shough was trying to throw to Olave, Douglas was in off coverage, read Shough all the way and easily stepped in front of Olave to intercept it. **Chase Young hit Achane for a 3-yard loss. **Patterson nailed a 48-yard field goal on the final play of the half to make it 16-0. **How bad was the Saints offense in the half? New Orleans had 63 yards, five first downs (two by penalty) and two turnovers. **The Saints came out to start the second half with a no-huddle looks and marched down the field to score to cut the deficit to 16-8 with 10:40 to play in the third quarter. **Shough hit Chris Olave with a 17-yard touchdown pass and Shough ran in the 2-point conversion to cap a 10 play, 65-yard drive. **On the touchdown play, Shough extended the play, rolled right and Olave wisely went with him, changing his route and broke open for the score. **The 65 yards exceeded the total in the entire first half for New Orleans. **Foster Moreau and Kelvin Banks each committed false start penalties on the next New Orleans possession. **Kai Kroeger nailed his best punt of the season, a 54-yard effort to the Miami 4-yard-line. **Bryan Bresee came up with a sack to stop the next Miami drive. **Shough was sacked for the fourth time on the next possession as Banks gave it up. **Achane, whom the Saints passed on in favor of Kendre Miller in the 2023 NFL draft, went over 1,000 yards rushing in the fourth quarter. **Chase Young came up with his fifth sack of the season to stop a Miami drive but Patterson kicked a 33-yard field goal to make it 19-8 with 9:39 to play in the game to camp a nine play, 38-yard drive. **Charlie Smyth got his first NFL field goal attempt, drilling it from 56 yards out, to cut the deficit to 19-11 with 6:08 to play in the game. The drive covered 37 yards in 10 plays. The kick had room to spare and would have been good from at least eight to 10 more yards. **McKinstry made a huge stop on fourth and less than a yard, tackling #31 for a loss as the Saints took over at the New Orleans 44-yard-line with 3:03 to play in the game. **Taliese Fuaga committed a critical holding penalty. **Shough then showed what you want to see, remaining poised, making adjustments with line calls, and engineered a touchdown drive. Shough hit Vele with a 17-yard touchdown pass, a beautifully thrown ball, to cut the deficit to 17-15 with 1:17 to play in the game. **Fuaga then committed his second costly penalty, a false start on the 2-point conversion attempt, putting the ball at the 8-yard-line. **On the 2-point conversion, Fitzpatrick undercut the route of Vele, was waiting on it, picked it off and returned it 98 yards for two points and a 21-17 lead. **Smyth then executed a perfect onside kick and Vele recovered it but Vele recovered it nine and a half yards down the field and by rule, it had to travel 10 yards. Upon replay review, the call was upheld, stating the ball touched a Miami player. **The Saints got the ball with 1:15 to play at their own 44-yard-line. **Shough went deep for Olave into double coverage, the ball went through his hands on a perfectly placed ball. **On fourth-and-one, Shough tried to sneak it but was stopped short, clinching the Miami win. On that play, Neal was behind Shough and made no effort to come forward and help on a “tush-push” play. Shough showed resilience and toughness, rebounding from a tough first half to give his team a chance. There remains a lot to like about his ability. He finished 26 of 38 for 239 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Vele had a coming out party, showing the reason the Saints dealt a fourth-round pick for him. Vele was acquired to be the inside possession receiver and he displayed that in outstanding fashion, catching eight passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. Olave had four catches for 47 yards and a score. Part of the problem for the Saints was the absence of any big play. The longest play from scrimmage for New Orleans was 17 yards. The New Orleans defense did its job, coming up with four sacks and an interception, despite giving up 22 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown to Achane. Tagovailoa was just 12 of 23 for 157 yards and an interception. There were encouraging signs. Young was simply outstanding. Demario Davis was his usual dependable, excellent self. McKinstry was outstanding and Terrell Burgess played well. Keeping things in perspective, Miami was not very good and with the win, the Dolphins are 5-7. Keeping it real, you are simply not going to win in the NFL scoring 17 points very often. The Saints fought back, played hard, and still lost again and are 2-10. New Orleans returns to Florida to take on Tampa Bay next Sunday. The Jets won their third game of the season. The Titans lost. The Saints would have a top four pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, at this point, battling with the Raiders and Giants, both two-win teams. That is something to look forward to. *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. 
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