Getting blown out at home by your archrival in prime time on the 20th anniversary of the New Orleans Saints’ return to the city after Hurricane Katrina? Yeah, it makes sense that fans would boo.
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough said if he were in the crowd for the team’s 45-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night, he’d have let the team hear it as well.
“Fans understandably are upset,” Shough said during his postgame press conference. “We had some opportunities that we didn’t take advantage of and you’re playing the Falcons and you lose like that? I mean, I’d boo, too. That sucks.”
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“We want to get everybody going. It’s part of it. You have to have the energy of the crowd and we’re gonna need them next week too against a really good team. That’s the best part about New Orleans. You feel it and we feel it too, and we’re gonna keep going.”
The convivial scene celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Saints’ return to New Orleans quickly turned to boos after Atlanta Falcons star running back Bijan Robinson scored twice in the first quarter, giving his squad a 14-0 first quarter lead.
The Falcons’ offense continued to suck the life out of the boisterous crowd as they dominated and held a multiscore lead for the majority of the game. Understanding how much this game meant to Saints fans, Shough called his squad’s performance embarrassing.
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“It’s extremely disappointing. It’s embarrassing,” Shough said. “I mean, I can’t say enough good things about the fans showing up, the entire process, what this game meant, and we fell short as a team to not get that win. So that was our mission. That was my message, and we didn’t win, and it was a team loss.”
“We got to do better on all fronts and us as an offense starting faster when it comes to another really good offense as well and being able to do our part and we got to do a lot better there and it starts with myself.”
Last season, the Saints seemed to build momentum down the stretch by going 4-1, but they are off to a 1-3 start this season. The defense has especially struggled, as it has allowed the most points in the NFL this season.
The offense has been good, as the Saints are tied with the Seattle Seahawks for 10th in the NFL with 26.3 points per game, but it hasn’t been enough to overcome the struggling defense. If that unit doesn’t turn things around quickly, the boos from the crowd will only grow louder.
The Saints will have an opportunity to bounce back in front of their home crowd Sunday at 1 p.m. ET when they play the 4-0 Minnesota Vikings.
