The New Orleans Saints season, much like last season ended on a disappointing note with the Los Angeles Rams coming away with a 26-23 win after a 57-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein.
The Saints started out strong with an 11-play opening drive that took almost five minutes off the clock, but were stifled in the redzone and settled for a 37-yard field goal to take the early lead. The defense came up big on their first drive when DeMario Davis picked off Jared Goff and took it the Rams 16-yard line to give the Saints outstanding field position. However, that drive ended much like the first one with Lutz making a chip shot field goal to make it 6-0.
After the Rams punted the ball away on the next drive, the Saints finally found paydirt when Brees found Garrett Griffin from five yards out to make it a 13-0 ballgame. However, the Rams got on the board early in the second quarter with Zuerlein connecting from 36 yards out to make it a ten-point ballgame.
Things got a little dicey at the end of the first half when the Rams found the endzone off of a six-yard run by Todd Gurley to make it 13-10 headed into halftime. The Saints started off the second half the right way with the defense forcing a punt, followed by a 12-play drive that was capped off by a two-yard pass from Drew Brees to Taysom Hill to make it a 10-point ballgame with 8:37 left in the third quarter.
The Rams responded late in the third quarter when Jared Goff connected with Higbee in the endzone to make it a three-point ballgame and followed that up with another field goal from Zuerlein to tie things up.
The Saints started to put together another solid drive late in the fourth quarter that was helped by Brees connecting with Ted Ginn on a 43-yard pass to put them at the Rams 13-yard line. Three plays later, Brees threw an incomplete pass intended for Tommylee Lewis and that play caused a ton of controversy due to no pass interference or helmet-to-helmet being called. After the game, Sean Payton talked with the front office and said that they admitted that they blew the call. That forced the Saints to kick a field goal to make it a three-point game with 1:45 left in regulation. That was too much time as Zuerlein nailed another field goal from 48 yards out to send it to overtime.
The Saints had the ball to open up overtime, but Brees was picked off by John Johnson at the Rams 46-yard line. The Rams then got to the Saints 39-yard line and we saw Zuerlein connect from 57 yards out to make it to their first Super Bowl since the 2001 season.
-Clint Domingue