After getting shut out in Lambeau Field on Monday, the five-win New Orleans Saints returned home for their home finale. Their opponent was the 3-12 Las Vegas Raiders, who were coming off a 19-14 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Brock Bowers broke multiple rookie records en route to the Saints losing 25-10 to drop to 5-11 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Las Vegas got the football first and drove down to the red zone. The possession took the first 9:11 off the clock and they did so in 17 plays. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell found an open Ameer Abdullah who touched out of bounds at the one-yard line. Abdullah was stuffed on first and second down, then on 3rd & GOAL, Cam Jordan sacked O’Connell for the 10-yard loss. Daniel Carlson knocked through the 31-yard field goal to put the Raiders up by three early.
The first offensive play for New Orleans went well as Spencer Rattler took the read option down the sideline for a 28-yard gain. The Saints lined up to go for it on 4th & 6 but a left guard Oli Udoh was flagged for a false start and punter Matthew Haybell pinned Vegas at their six-yard line.
New Orleans scored their first points after a three-and-out and a 21-yard punt return from Dante Pettis. Starting at midfield, Kendre Miller took a four-yard sweep and then caught Rattler’s checked down for a 16-yard pickup. To begin the second quarter, the Saints opened up the playbook. Miller got the toss to the right and threw it backward to the opposite side of the field back to Rattler. The Saints rookie quarterback would find Foster Moreau open in the endzone for a 30-yard touchdown to go up 7-3.
O’Connell connected with former LSU Tiger Terrace Marshall for the 28-yard pickup to the New Orleans 37-yard line. Abdullah rushed for 11 yards before getting stuffed by Khalen Saunders. Tre Tucker couldn’t make the catch on third down and Carlson lined up for the 39-yard field goal to cut it to a one-point game.
Las Vegas reclaimed the lead late in the second quarter. Abdullah’s 17-yard rush attempt gave the offense some room to work with and O’Connell evaded pressure to hit Brock Bowers for a 13-yard gain. Following the two-minute warning, Jakobi Meyers made the 29-yard, third-down catch on a slot fade to set up 1st & 10 from the New Orleans 33-yard line. Bowers made a 17-yard catch and Abdullah had another 13 yards to set up 1st & GOAL. O’Connell went to Meyers on a whip route that resulted in a three-yard touchdown with 57 seconds left in the first half.
New Orleans scored one more time before heading into the locker rooms with a 34-yard field goal as time expired. Rattler completed five straight passes on the drive for 59 yards before throwing away a pass with three seconds left
The Saints went into the locker room down 13-10.
Following a punt by the Black and Gold, the Raiders drove 49 yards in 10 plays and settled for another field goal. Meyers’ 19-yard catch put Vegas in New Orleans territory and Abdullah was stopped for a one-yard gain on 3rd & 5. Carlson’s 54-yard kick extended the lead for the Raiders.
Four drives later, Carlson kicked his fourth field goal of the game to put Las Vegas up 19-10 with 14:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Rattler’s pass to Cedrick Wilson was high and bounced off the receiver’s hands. Raiders cornerback Jack Jones came down with the interception and returned the ball four yards to the New Orleans 40-yard line. Vegas went up by 15 as O’Connell connected with Tre Tucker for the 18-yard touchdown. Carl Granderson blocked the PAT.
Neither team scored in the final 8:20 and Rattler was picked off by Thomas Harper in the final 53 seconds. The Raiders kneeled out the rest of the clock to secure the 25-10 win to improve to 4-12. The Saints dropped to 5-11 with the loss.
BIG NUMBERS: 1,144 and 108
Brock Bowers rewrote the record books twice on Sunday. The former Georgia Bulldog broke the NFL record for most receiving yards in a season by a rookie tight end with 1,144 yards. He also broke the single-season rookie reception record with 108. Bowers finished the game with seven catches for 77 yards.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Aidan O’Connell
The Raider starting quarterback completed 20 out of 35 pass attempts for 2442 yards and threw two touchdown passes in Las Vegas’ 25-10 win over the New Orleans Saints.
UP NEXT: The New Orleans Saints will close out the 2024-25 regular season on the road. They’ll head to Tampa, Florida to take on the Buccaneers in Raymond James Stadium. This will be a flex game and will either be on Saturday, January 4th, or Sunday, January 5th. A kickoff time also isn’t decided.