The New Orleans Saints dropped their home opener against the Las Vegas Raiders in heartbreaking fashion. Despite a strong start over the first three quarters, an uncharacteristic fourth quarter led to an 11-point swing, turning quickly into an eight-point defeat.
Here are the numbers that help tell the story of how the Saints fell to 1-2 with their 35-27 loss to the Raiders.
0 – After starting the season as one of the NFL’s top downfield passers, Saints quarterback Tyler Shough went 0 of 4 on passes 20 or more yards from the line of scrimmage.
2.9 – The Saints’ run defense held Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty to just 2.9 yards per carry.
4 – Shough threw a career-high four passing touchdowns. However, four consecutive fourth-quarter turnovers (three attached to Shough and Las Vegas’ pressure) erased the edge he created through the first three quarters.
8 – Shough and Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees are the only two passers in Saints history with eight passing touchdowns through the first three games of a season.
17.8 – Per Next Gen Stats, the Saints forced a season-low pressure rate of just 17.8% generated by the Raiders in Week 3, the lowest Shough has faced in his career. However, Pro Football Focus has the Raiders charting with a 30.8% pressure rate generated in the fourth quarter, including two strip sacks and an interception.
23 – After 23 games without holding a lead after the first quarter, the Saints finally outscored an opponent in the opening frame.
60 – New Orleans converted 60% of its third downs, the best since Week 2 in the 2024 season.
83.5 – Shough’s passer rating dropped from 131.4 in the third quarter to just 47.9 in the fourth, a decline of 83.5 points.
100 – In the first 47 games of his career, wide receiver Chris Olave had nine games with over 100 receiving yards. In the 11 games since Shough became the starting quarterback, the wideout has already amassed five.
116 – Raiders star tight end Brock Bowers reeled in 116 receiving yards on 10 receptions, including one touchdown catch. It was Bowers’ fourth career game with 10 catches and over 100 receiving yards.
2022 – Sunday’s loss was the first game in which a team has had four fourth-quarter turnovers since the 2022 season when the Indianapolis Colts offense did so against the Dallas Cowboys defense in Week 13.
