Same Story, Different Sunday: The Saints Still Can’t Find a Way to Win

Another rough Sunday for the Saints, who fell 34-10 to the Los Angeles Rams and continue to fall to 1-8 in the NFC South.

The game kicked off at 4:25pm EST at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, with the Saints trying to stop a long losing streak against a red-hot Rams team.

The opening drive pretty much set the tone for the night, ending with a short touchdown to Tyler Higbee, giving Los Angeles an early 7-0 lead. 

The Saints’ first possession went nowhere. Two short runs and an incomplete pass forced a punt and from there the game already felt like it was tilting one way.

The Saints struggled to stay on the field, and the Rams never really looked back.

Another reminder of how far this team is from competing, the offense looked lost for most of the game, and the defense couldn’t stop a Rams offense that was in rhythm from the opening drive. The Rams controlled the ball for nearly 44 minutes compared to just 16 minutes for New Orleans, which says pretty much everything about how one-sided it was.

Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough made his first NFL start, completing 15 of 24 passes for 176 yards with one touchdown and one interception, per Nola. He had a few nice throws but struggled under constant pressure and rarely had time to find open receivers. The Saints’ only touchdown came with seven seconds left in the first half, when Shough hit Juwan Johnson on an 11-yard pass to make it 20-10. That was as close as it would get.

Rams' Matthew Stafford completely picked apart the Saints’ defense, finishing 24 of 32 for 281 yards and four touchdowns, per ESPN. 

Kyren Williams added 114 rushing yards and a score on 25 carries, while Puka Nacua caught seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown before leaving with a rib injury (FOX).

 The Rams’ offense moved the ball with ease, staying on schedule and converting long drives while New Orleans struggled to even get first downs. The Saints’ defense looked tired, but it’s hard to blame them when they were on the field most of the game.

The Rams had almost triple the plays and dominated time of possession. Even when the Saints got stops, they couldn’t capitalize. Penalties and missed assignments kept killing what few opportunities they DID have.

The running game also disappeared: Alvin Kamara finished with just 32 yards on 10 carries.

At this point, the Saints are basically playing for pride and player development. They’re clearly rebuilding, and it shows. You can see glimpses of potential from younger players, but it’s not translating to wins. There’s not much left to salvage this season except for experience and maybe figuring out what they want to build around next year.

The Rams, on the other hand, are trending in the complete opposite direction. They’re now 6-2 and playing like a contender. For the Saints, it’s another Sunday of frustration, growing pains, and more questions than answers.