Man, what a way to kick off the regular season. The New Orleans Saints are staring down an 0-1 record after a wild overtime showdown against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, and it all boils down to one absolutely mind-boggling call from head coach Kellen Moore. Seriously, you gotta hear this.
Moore Goes for Broke, Saints Go Home
Picture this: Overtime, Saints just punched in a touchdown. The clock shows 1:34 left in the game. Most coaches, in this situation, would kick the extra point, tie things up, and hope their defense can get a stop, or at least hold on for a tie. That’s the safe, conventional play, right? But Kellen Moore? Nah. He decided to go for the jugular, choosing to try for a two-point conversion to win the game right then and there. One way or another, it was gonna be over.
Spoiler alert: It ended the other way. Quarterback Tyler Shough’s pass on the two-point conversion attempt sailed incomplete, out the back of the end zone. Just like that, buzzer sounds, game over. The Saints walked off the field 0-1. Talk about a gut punch to start the season! It’s one thing to lose, it’s another to lose on a decision like that in Week 1.
Moore Stands Firm: “We Had a Chance to Go Win”
Now, after a play like that, you’d think Moore might be doing some serious soul-searching, right? But nope. He’s standing by his call. “There was 1:34 left. That’s a really talented offense,” Moore stated after the game. “We had a chance to go win the football game. I really viewed it as we’re going for two there to win the game, if we have a chance.” It sounds like he wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of giving the ball back to Detroit’s “talented offense” with over a minute left on the clock.
This aggressive mindset actually played out earlier in overtime, too. The Saints decided to kick off to start overtime, basically saying, “Hey, we want the ball second so we know exactly what we need to do to win.” Well, Moore definitely knew what they needed to do. He went for the win, and it just didn’t pay off.
Starting 0-1 on such a high-stakes gamble sets a wild tone for the early season. Was it smart analytics or just a touch too much swagger for Week 1? Moore clearly believes he made the right call to try and win it right away. We’ll have to see how that kind of belief holds up as the regular season rolls on.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
Leave a Reply