NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Saints were an extra point away from perhaps their most dramatic and important victory of the season. Instead, they wound up with their most stunning and excruciating loss –- and a season that is back on the brink at 4-5.
The Saints lost 25-23 to the Denver Broncos after that extra-point attempt (which would've given New Orleans a 24-23 lead) was blocked and returned 84 yards for a two-point conversion with 1:22 remaining. It appeared for a moment that Denver’s Will Parks might have stepped out of bounds on the return, but the replay review upheld the call.
Denver (7-3) then recovered the Saints’ onside-kick try and knelt the game away.
The Saints now have to make a quick recovery before another grueling test at the division rival Carolina Panthers on Thursday night.
“Obviously that’s a tough loss -- a tough way to lose a game like that,” said Saints coach Sean Payton, who didn’t complain about the replay review or the Broncos’ legal tactic of jumping over the line to block the kick. “We’ve had tough losses, but the sky’s not falling today. It’s important this doesn’t affect the next game.”
Drew Brees’ first reaction was a common one among Saints players in the dazed postgame locker room: "Shoot, a little disbelief still," Brees said.
"It's tough to play a game like that, fight as hard as we all did, then have it come down to something like that," Brees said.
But when told that a lot of fans think Denver's Parks stepped out of bounds, Brees said, "It doesn't matter. Let's not even get to that point."
If anything, Saints players questioned whether Broncos defensive end Jared Crick should’ve been penalized for pushing down on long snapper Justin Drescher’s helmet to clear an opening for Justin Simmons to leap through.
“I will have to watch it on film, but it felt like their defensive tackles kind of pulled me forward and down, so I really couldn’t pop us as fast,” Drescher said. “That’s what I felt in the time and the moment. ...
“More power to them. They had a great scheme. It’s frustrating because it’s a hard way to lose.”
Whether or not the Broncos’ play was legal, Drescher, Payton and Saints punter Thomas Morstead said they have ways to try and guard against plays like that “leaper” play -- as it was dubbed by the Broncos.
They could have possibly mixed up their cadence better, and Drescher needs to try and create contact with the leaper to draw a foul. But they also credited the Broncos for disguising their intentions well before the snap.
The stunning finish was a shame for the Saints, since they appeared to survive their toughest test yet against a Broncos defense that was every bit as stifling as advertised.
New Orleans turned the ball over a season-high four times -- including two fumbles by rookie sensation Michael Thomas and a pass to him that was broken up and resulted in an interception. Thomas, who has been one of the NFL’s hottest players, had a welcome-to-the-NFL nightmare of a day. He is the only player in the league to lose two fumbles in the fourth quarter this season. Brees was consoling him on the way off the field after the second one.
But the Saints rallied with 20 points in the second half -- capped by a phenomenal 32-yard touchdown pass from Brees to receiver Brandin Cooks in heavy traffic that set up the potential game-winning kick in the final minutes. Brees finished with 303 yards, three touchdown passes and two interceptions. Cooks had three catches for 98 yards and a TD.
And the Saints’ defense had arguably its best performance of the season, with interceptions by cornerback Sterling Moore and safety Kenny Vaccaro and a total of six sacks to keep the game close despite all of the turnovers.
In the end, though, the Saints suffered their fourth loss of the season in which the final score came down to one possession. And they still haven’t gotten past .500 since 2013 or won a game against the Broncos since 1994.
The best news for New Orleans was that the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons (6-4) and Panthers (3-6) both lost close games down the stretch as well on Sunday. And the Saints are glad they can get back on the field quickly Thursday.
"That's a great thing," said Saints defensive end Cam Jordan, who had nine tackles, one sack, three tackles-for-loss and two quarterback hits. "It's a blessing, so we can get this bad taste out of our mouth, go to Carolina, and hopefully get a win."