The New Orleans Saints, really against all odds, almost lost their game on Sunday after leading by 24 points early in the fourth quarter. If the Saints had lost, I’m not sure Kellen Moore would have been allowed on the plane to France. Not to say it was all his fault, and we will get to him when we talk about the three people who could take some blame for the collapse, but he definitely didn’t help and has taken the most criticism since the game ended. 

But before we get to Moore, let’s talk about two people who should take some of the blame. 

Starting with Donaldson, I do not think he should get much of the blame, but his fumble is what sparked the Giants' comeback. On the drive after J.J. McCarthy threw an interception that should have completely stopped the Giants from winning the game, the Saints just needed to run the clock down and get some first downs. Instead, right away, Donaldson fumbled the ball, and the Giants completely took control of the game after that point. 

Somehow, a person who is not getting enough blame for the Giants’ near comeback is Brandon Staley. The Saints' defense had a really good game overall and was able to make the Giants turn the ball over a number of times. Most importantly, they did really well against the run game, which has been a major weakness of the team. But as soon as the Donaldson turnover occurred, it’s almost like the defense already left the stadium. It’s understandable that fatigue may have kicked in, but it was shocking how much they struggled in the fourth quarter. Even on the last play where the Saints stopped New York on fourth down, WR Malik Nabers was wide open in the end zone. 

The entire unit looked off, and Staley may have been way too cautious at the end. 

Last is Moore, and the main reason he is getting blamed for this collapse is his decision to pull starters. Early in the fourth quarter, when the fumble happened, Moore took out the offensive starters. Before that decision, the Saints offense was dominating and looked unstoppable, but New Orleans managed to stop their own momentum. Once the Giants scored a touchdown, the Saints had to bring back the starters, which just made the decision look even worse, and then the Saints offense couldn’t do anything.