NEW ORLEANS -- The Saints (1-5) had one moment of offensive perfection in the team's 25-19 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Saints quarterback Taysom Hill came into the game with 9:45 remaining in the second quarter and the team at the Patriots' 1-yard line. As the ball was snapped, he took off around the right side heading for the end zone.
Several yards before Hill crossed the goal line, four of his teammates, including tight end Foster Moreau, had their hands up signaling a touchdown. Hill's touchdown, which would turn out to be the only one for the Saints, trimmed the Patriots' lead to 14-13.
"It was a perfect look, it was exactly how it was carded all week during practice for the last couple of weeks we drew it up," Moreau said. "... Obviously I had to throw a good thumb block on the guy that was on the end of the line. But yeah, once you get Taysom Hill in space, I mean it's impossible to stop. You can only slow it down."
But those moments have been few and far between for the Saints, who exited Sunday with a red zone touchdown efficiency of 42.1%, which ranks 29th in the league through six games.
The Saints had to settle for four field goals against the Patriots and made all four, a positive sign after Blake Grupe struggled to start the season (he missed five kicks coming into this week's game). The Saints got away with scoring only field goals last week in a win against the New York Giants because of five Giants turnovers.
They lost the turnover battle against the Patriots, leaving no room for error.
"It's the NFL. The margins are really, really small," Saints coach Kellen Moore said after the game. "They're really tight. They got good players. We got good players. It's a matter of taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented, and so yeah, we're not getting it done.
"For myself, I got to figure out a way to get us there because again, we're close, we're knocking on the door, but we're not opening it."
In addition to Hill's score, there were some moments of hope for the Saints' offense that were offset by negative plays. The team started the game with a 53-yard pass from Spencer Rattler to Chris Olave. Not only did it equal the longest catch of Olave's career, but it appeared it would get the Saints off to a quick start.
But the Saints gained only 6 yards on the next three plays and kicked a field goal, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
"After that play we were like, 'Damn, we're going to roll now, let's roll,'" Rattler said. "And you hate to end up with three on that drive. That should for sure be a touchdown. So, got to figure out a way no matter what it is to get seven points on the board, especially after a big play like that."
"Had man coverage on third-and-4, had the look, they brought safety pressure that was hot, had to get the ball out," Rattler added. "They covered it well, and then we got a field goal. So it's just little plays like that, man. You just got to find a way to make 'em, and it's a collective thing for sure. And we know that."
There were many of those little moments that hurt the Saints throughout the game.
A 23-yard pass to Devaughn Vele that would have put the Saints on the 4-yard line was negated by a holding penalty that backed them up to the New England 37 and resulted in a second field goal. A pass to Olave on third-and-4 bounced off his hands in the end zone (the Saints then kicked a field goal), and two other potential big Olave catches were dropped.
"I'm not worried about him," Rattler said of Olave, who had six catches for 98 yards. "He's one of our best guys, our top guy, and we're going to keep getting him the ball."
In the Saints' last significant offensive drive, Juwan Johnson fumbled a catch at midfield. The Patriots challenged that Johnson was down by contact and won the challenge, getting the ball back and using up almost three minutes of the clock on the following drive.
"I think we just were told there was some movement on the ball and that's all I get," Moore said of the play.
The Saints lamented another close loss in the locker room, with Moore describing the overall mood as "frustration" for all of the what-ifs.
"Obviously there's opportunities," Moore said. "I think everyone can feel that. We had our opportunities in this game, we just didn't get it done."