The entire state of Louisiana has been complaining and crying about the Saints’ 26-23 OT loss to the LA Rams last Sunday, but I have one thing and one thing only to say–boo-hoo!
We get it, you feel robbed. One of the worst calls in playoff history behind the Tom Brady “Tuck Rule Game” will haunt the Saints faithful for eternity. But should have there been a pass interference call against LA defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman? Absolutely. No doubt about it. However…you cannot sit here and say that is the only reason why New Orleans lost the game.
The opening drive of the game, TE Dan Arnold dropped a tough pass in the end zone. Yes, it was a drop. Two hands on the ball, coming down to the ground and then letting it slip. That left four points off of the board. After an interception on the Rams opening drive inside their own 25, the Saints didn’t pick up a first down, settling for three more.
Then after holding the Rams to less than 10 yards and forcing a third straight punt, the Saints gave up a 12-yard fake punt, allowing LA to drive down and get three points of their own on the board.
Oh, but we aren’t done there. The second half has been the Saints’ best portion of the game over the past 10 weeks, specifically in the fourth, and they allowed the Rams to out gain them in yards, points and time of possession. New Orleans should have also been flagged for a face mask penalty on Jared Goff on a 2nd down run, which would have led to 1st and goal on the one yard line, and likely would have given LA the lead with just under four minutes to play.
The longest pass of the day for Drew Brees came on the Saints’ final drive of the fourth. A 43-yard completion to Ted Ginn Jr. that set up what could have been a game icing field goal if not for one of the worst final play calling sequences I have seen in a long time.
With just under two minutes remaining, the Saints had first down on LA’s 13 yard line and the Rams had two time outs. On first down Sean Peyton called a slant and Brees threw it straight at his feet, stopping the clock (free timeout for LA). Second down they ran it and Rams spent their second TO. On third down, instead of making the Rams burn their final timeout by running it, Peyton called a swing pass that had beaten LA all day, except it was intended for TommyLee Lewis…not Alvin Kamara.
Obviously we all know what happened after, but Goff was then able to lead the Rams down the field with a timeout in his back pocket, giving LA just enough time to send the game to added time.
BUT EVAN…WE WERE ROBBED!
Okay, so the team with the better quarterback won the coin toss in OT, got the ball first and threw an interception. So not only were you given a lifeline after the blown call, but your defense couldn’t keep LA from tying it up. They couldn’t get one stop after the INT, and your “MVP QB” threw Louisiana right out of the playoffs in what could have been another NFC Championship game-winning drive (which I will touch on in a minute).
Give me a break! Sports are fast paced, and plays are bang-bang. It is officiated and performed by imperfect humans. That’s just life. Yes, the call was missed, and in that moment it could have possibly iced the game if called correctly. But a missed face mask on the other end on Goff isn’t being discussed, and it has just as much of an impact on the game as the PI on Robey-Coleman.
Now, I know I pledged for the Brady-Brees Super Bowl, and I still wish it were the veteran QB’s going toe-to-toe, but I feel no sympathy for the New Orleans Saints whatsoever. My reasoning stems from the 2010 NFC title game against the Minnesota Vikings…also known as “BOUNTY GATE.”
Bounty Gate isn’t remembered by many, but for Minnesota fans it will never be forgotten. The Vikes were led by 40-year-old Brett Favre and were one possession away from sending Minneapolis to the big dance for the first time since the late 70’s. Even though it was the sloppiest game by Minnesota all season (5 turnovers), they were still in a position to win the game in the fourth.
If you want to talk about reffing after last Sunday, let’s not forget the shit-show of a crew the NFC Championship had nine years ago.
-A horrible no-call PI on Visanthe Shiancoe (who was getting his jersey pulled from behind) made the Vikes punt instead of having first-and-goal on the five.
-In overtime: Saints won the toss and should have had to punt after an overthrown ball by Brees led to a PI call in which a New Orleans player fell backwards and went untouched. A flag was thrown giving the Saints a fresh set of downs…literally went untouched.
-On fourth down on the Vikes 43 yard line the Saints ran the ball. The ruling was a first down, but after a booth review demonstrated that Pierre Thomas jumped over the pile…he fumbled the ball mid-air and recovered short of the first down line. But, as you already know from history, it was ruled a first.
These are just a few calls that Minny had to deal with in the Superdome. But the biggest blunder of all were the multiple roughing the passer no-calls against what was considered a bounty on Favre’s head. Hitting him late, low, high and driving him into the turf consistently. There was literally a damn bounty on an NFL quarterback and the purple and gold just about had justice served if not for a too many men penalty in FG range, leading to a forced Favre INT (which he later said his arm was so numb he couldn’t get anything on it).
Losing to the Saints in 2010 will always sting, especially with that stacked roster, but justice has continually been getting served on the black and gold’s football faith and I can’t help but smile.
The Marshawn Lynch run heard around the world ousted the Saints from the playoffs in 2011. The Vernon Davis last-second TD in San Francisco eliminated Who Dat in 2012. A little pay-back in 2018 with the Minneapolis Miracle crushed the hearts of the bayou, and the helmet-to-helmet no-call buried New Orleans and the city this past Sunday.
All I can do is smile and say “oh well!”
You can call me a hypocrite all you want for wanting the Saints in the Super Bowl for the Brady-Brees story line, but I never stated that I wanted them to win. I would never want New Orleans to win again after the 2010 scandal, but as a fan of the game…I respect the hell out of number 9. Brees plays the game the right way and is one of the best to ever do it. All I wanted was for the two 40-year-old’s to prove that age is just a number and battle for the World Champion accolade.
So go ahead New Orleans, keep shouting out that the Saints were robbed. Nobody is listening, and nothing is going to happen. Just be sure to grab a front row seat and a big bowl of gumbo at your Super Bowl party as you witness TB12 win his record-setting 6th ring.
Sincerely,
Vikes fans everywhere.
