The New Orleans Saints went to Los Angeles Sunday to visit the Los Angeles Rams in the highly-anticipated rematch of the game that ultimately cost the Saints a trip to the Super Bowl last year after a missed pass interference call.
Both teams had their own agenda preceding the game because of their last matchup; the Saints were, of course, out to avenge their loss to the Rams, and the Rams wanted to quiet all of the hype surrounding the rematch and prove they could win the game without botched calls. The Rams handed the Saints a resounding 27-9 loss, not without a botched call, but this time the call didn’t necessarily cost the Saints the game.
New Orleans had the first possession of the game and it ended an interception by John Johnson III when Drew Brees threw a pass intended for Jared Cook. The play was reviewed, and the call was upheld upon review giving Los Angeles early possession. The Rams closed out their possession with a 24-yard field goal to get on the board first.
The following four possessions didn’t yield points for either team, and the highlight of the first quarter was, unfortunately, Drew Brees having to exit with a hand injury, giving Teddy Bridgewater the signal-caller spot with a little over three minutes left in the first quarter.
The Saints were called on three offensive penalties in the last possession of the first quarter and were unable to put any points on the board in the opening 15 minutes. Los Angeles kept the lead going into the second quarter, and they went three and out in their first possession with only a one-yard gain before New Orleans finally put their first points on the scoreboard in the following possession. Will Lutz put the Saints on the board and tied the game 3-3 with a 34-yard field goal with 11:08 left in the second half.
The next possession, the Saints were again the victims of a bad call after Rams quarterback Jared Goff was sacked, causing a forced fumble and recovery by Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, who ran 80 yards to score a touchdown which wasn’t counted because of an early whistle on the play that ended up being overturned.
Instead of a touchdown, the Saints didn’t put any points on the board in that possession. Following the two-minute warning and a timeout from each team, Greg Zuerlein kicked a 22-yard field goal to give the Rams a 6-3 lead going into halftime. Unfortunately, the biggest takeaways of the first half of the game revolved around Brees’ injury, the early whistle, and the Saints’ numerous penalty calls.
The third quarter of the game started much like the second quarter, with the Rams doing nothing on offense before a nine-play New Orleans drive ended in a 52-yard field goal by Lutz, tying the score at six apiece. The Saints didn’t keep the lead for long, as Todd Gurley was able to finish out the next Los Angeles possession with his first rushing touchdown of this season, and put the Rams back on top, 13-6.
Los Angeles put another touchdown on the board in their next possession when Goff completed a pass to Brandin Cooks, and the Rams extended their lead to 20-6. In the final New Orleans possession of the third quarter, the possession carried into the fourth quarter, and following two offensive holding penalty calls, the Saints produced what would be their final points of the game, with yet another Lutz field goal, this time from 42 yards and with almost 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The Rams began their next possession with an 11-point lead over the Saints and added another seven points to the lead when Jared Goff hit Cooper Kupp on a 67-yard catch and run, then rushed into the end zone for another touchdown.
The game ended with the Rams on top and following the game, the chatter surrounded Drew Brees’s injury and the third time the Saints have been the victims of bad referee calls. Brees is expected to have surgery on his thumb Wednesday, sidelining him for an undetermined amount of time, and as of Tuesday, the Saints had not opted to place Brees on the injured reserves list, which would require he sit out for eight weeks. As far as the early whistle, Cameron Jordan had his own opinion on the matter:
No disrespect to footlocker https://t.co/YhiBokGL8Z
— cameron jordan (@camjordan94) September 16, 2019
The Saints meet the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Sept. 22 in Seattle.
