In two of their last four games, the New Orleans Saints have watched double-digit leads quickly evaporate in the closing quarter. The old cliche of playing all 60 minutes has proven quite important for New Orleans and this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it will be a more critical lesson to learn more than ever.
Against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3, the team’s home opener in New Orleans, the Saints took a 27-16 lead in the third quarter. The Raiders responded with a touchdown before the third quarter closed and then New Orleans committed four, fourth-quarter turnovers, leading to a pair of scores by the Raiders which took and then extended the lead.
The result ended up being a 35-27 loss despite the late lead.
New Orleans (2-4) experienced flashes of a similar situation against the New York Giants, but were able to seal a win anyway.
Against the Giants, the Saints stormed out to a 24-point lead after scoring 34 unanswered points. Within nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, the team held a 34-10 advantage but that advantage began to shrink.
The Giants responded, after benching starting quarterback Jameis Winston and turning to J.J. McCarthy, with 17 unanswered points of their own and were one red zone, fourth-and-1 play away from at least tying the matchup with 12 seconds remaining.
Following three consecutive three-and-outs by the Saints’ offense in the fourth quarter, the team found itself again with its back against the wall in a game they previously controlled.
Now, in Paris, France, the team will face the Pittsburgh Steelers. Led by veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Steelers closed a 13-point gap against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to force overtime last week, a game they ultimately won in the extra period.
Rodgers has led more than his fair share of fourth-quarter comebacks, tied for second among active players in his career with 27. He is also second on the same list with 39 game-winning drives.
Protecting a late lead won’t be easy against a veteran such as Rodgers and head coach Mike McCarthy, who have each seen just about everything the league has to offer. If New Orleans can secure a late lead against Pittsburgh, they’ll immediately be tested against whether or not they can close out the victory convincingly.
