A brutal 34-0 shutout loss to the Los Angeles Rams tied a New Orleans Saints record from 1971, marking one of their worst preseason defeats in three decades. This wasn’t just any loss; it was a complete offensive implosion, leaving New Orleans with their lowest scoring output since a crushing 42-6 shellacking by the Kansas City Chiefs way back in 1996. The Rams might be stacked with talent like Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams, and Myles Garrett, but even with those big names watching from the sidelines in sweatpants, the Saints simply crumbled.
This Ugly History Is Getting Hard to Ignore
The numbers from this Rams game are just plain ugly. Tying the Saints’ 1971 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles makes this one the fourth-worst defeat in team history. That’s a statistic no one wants to see. While it’s true the franchise has seen worse exhibition performances, like the absolutely brutal 56-7 blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1972, or the 42-7 defeat by the Detroit Lions in 1969, let’s be real. No coach, no player, and certainly no fan wants to hear “it’s been worse before.” A 34-0 blanking does not feel any better just because you can dig up wider margins of defeat in the dusty old record books. This wasn’t a close call, it was a total collapse.
What Now For Coach Moore’s Squad?
Saints head coach Kellen Moore didn’t mince words after the game, admitting, “Regular season, preseason, does not matter. Those are not the ones you want.” He’s absolutely right. What’s even more concerning is this loss extends his career preseason record to a truly unsettling 0-4-1. We all know preseason isn’t about wins and losses, or even ties for that matter, but at some point, you have to be able to line up against an opponent and actually outplay them. The Saints did anything but that against the Rams.
The team returns home to New Orleans this week, with a couple of practices on the schedule. They’ll need every single rep before their final preseason showdown against the Dallas Cowboys on Friday night. Then comes the brutal part: a long weekend of difficult roster cuts before the NFL deadline hits Sunday at 5 p.m. CT. Hopefully, the game tape from this Rams debacle, as painful as it will be to watch, does its job and helps separate the wheat from the chaff for those final roster spots.
That final preseason game against the Cowboys on Friday night is a huge opportunity to show some life, some fight, anything after this Rams disaster. It’s the last chance for a lot of guys to prove they belong before the final cuts loom. New Orleans needs to find some answers, fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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