The New Orleans Saints fell to the Arizona Cardinals 20-13 on Sunday afternoon inside the Caesars Superdome. The loss began the Kellen Moore era in New Orleans, who was coaching in his first game as head man in charge.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game began with a statement by the Saints defense. Cam Jordan came up with a sack, and New Orleans forced the Arizona offense into a punting situation.
Spencer Rattler, making the start for the Saints, could not help New Orleans make anything happen on the first drive. They went three-and-out, and Arizona was able to convert the field position into points. They made a 42-yard field goal by Chad Ryland, taking a 3-0 lead.
After the first drive was a struggle, the Saints got things moving on their next possession. Multiple penalties affected the march, including one on Arizona that erased a would-be interception. Ultimately, Alvin Kamara capped a 10 play, 75-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown run to make it 7-3 Saints. The touchdown marked number 1000 for the Saints inside the Superdome.
The New Orleans lead was short-lived, as the Cardinals immediately drove back down the field and answered. A long pass from Kyler Murray to Marvin Harrison Jr set up the touchdown, and that connection worked for the score as well. Arizona retook the lead at 10-7.
The Saints tied the game after a nice drive was cut short. Blake Grupe answered the call on a field goal, making the game 10-10. That gave the Cardinals the football back, and they utilized their last drive of the half quite effectively.
10 plays and 71 yards later, Murray found James Conner for a big score with less than 30 seconds left in the half. The touchdown made it 17-10, a lead that the Cardinals would take into the locker room for the halftime break.
Arizona would add a field goal first in the third, extending the lead to 20-10. The New Orleans offense struggled but did find a field goal attempt in the third. However, Grupe missed it and the lead remained 10.
In the fourth, Arizona tried to extend the lead but missed a field goal of their own. Bryan Bresee was able to partially block it. That set up the Saints with a chance to cut the lead to one score, and they would do so. A long drive got them inside the five, but they settled for a short field goal to make it 20-13.
The Saints were set up to try to get one big stop to give the offense a chance at the end. Alontae Taylor made a sack on third down, giving New Orleans the ball back just inside of two minutes left with no timeouts.
The Saints final drive moved into Cardinal territory. However, it ended without points, and Arizona held on for the 20-13 win.
BIG NUMBER: 123
With Cam Jordan’s 1.5 sacks, he now has 123 for his career. That ranks 20th all-time in NFL history, and Jordan is now tied with Robert Mathis.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Marvin Harrison Jr
The former first-round pick had a big impact on this game. His long reception set up the touchdown he caught in the second quarter. He totaled five receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown in the Cardinals’ victory.
UP NEXT: The Saints (0-1) will stay at home as they host the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday at noon inside the Caesars Superdome.