The NFL scheduled the Saints to host the Falcons on Monday night to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Superdome’s reopening after Hurricane Katrina. It was a big night in New Orleans, and the Saints did not match the fans’ energy.
Saints head coach Kellen Moore said after the 45-24 loss that the team came out flat despite the excitement of the moment.
“Really disappointing game for us,” Moore said. “The dome was an incredible night, incredible energy. I did a poor job preparing our football team. Didn’t coach well enough, didn’t play well enough. It wasn’t good enough. We’re at where we’re at, a 1-3 football team with some good moments but not enough consistent football to be where we ultimately want to be. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Moore said he addressed the historical significance of the game with his team and thought they bought into this being a particularly big game. But when it was time to put it all together, they didn’t.
“We talked about it at the beginning of the week, the guys were fired up,” Moore said. “I thought there was good energy, we just didn’t execute well enough.”
The Saints saw the nationally televised, much-discussed game as a big opportunity to show what kind of team they are, and they didn’t show much.
“Those are big-time opportunities,” Moore said. “It’s just disappointing for us and I know there’s frustration for everyone.”