The New Orleans Saints had a golden chance to move to 2-1 and stamp themselves as a legitimate early-season surprise. Instead, they let an 11-point third-quarter lead slip away, coughing up 19 unanswered points and four turnovers on their final five possessions in a 35-27 home-opener collapse against the previously perfect Las Vegas Raiders. Kellen Moore's team has now dropped to 1-2, and while there's plenty of blame to spread around the Caesars Superdome, three culprits stand out above the rest.
Asim Richards' Disastrous Fourth Quarter
Filling in at right tackle for an injured Kelvin Banks Jr., Asim Richards actually held his own for three quarters against one of the league's premier pass rushes. Then the fourth quarter arrived, and everything unraveled. Richards was directly at fault on two separate turnovers, getting beaten by Raiders Jeremy Chinn for a strip-sack that Las Vegas recovered and getting beaten again moments later as Koonce's pressure forced Tyler Shough into an interception.
THE RAIDERS CONFUSE TYLER SHOUGH
JEREMY CHINN SACK pic.twitter.com/4NLPnmfbQz
— Pick 6 Pack (@Pick6PackFB) September 27, 2026
He also surrendered a sack in the same stretch. Three catastrophic reps in the final 15 minutes turned a winnable game into a loss, and it's a reminder of just how costly one shaky lineman can be when the opponent's best pass rusher lines up across from him snap after snap.
A Secondary That Never Showed Up
New Orleans' defensive backfield was arguably the biggest letdown of the afternoon. Kool-Aid McKinstry was the only Saints defensive back who got a hand on a pass all game, breaking up two throws while the rest of the unit combined for nothing on 31 attempts from Kirk Cousins. Safety Jonas Sanker was caught out of position multiple times, including surrendering a touchdown to Cody White, and nobody on the roster could contain Brock Bowers, who bullied his way to a monster day with defenders draped all over him.
The lack of team speed showed up again on Mike Washington's 36-yard touchdown scamper. Brandon Staley's defense also let Las Vegas convert 7-of-12 third downs, a 58.3% clip that's nearly double their success rate through the first two weeks. When your secondary can't disrupt anything downfield and your defense can't get off the field on third down, no offensive explosion is safe.
The Turnover Avalanche That Sealed the Fate
Ultimately, this game came down to who protected the football, and the Saints failed spectacularly. New Orleans finished at minus-4 in turnover differential, and the dagger came on the final possession when tight end Juwan Johnson, who had otherwise been terrific with four total touchdowns between him and Noah Fant, fumbled away what would have been a first down near midfield with a chance to tie or win.
That marked his fifth fumble in three seasons and turned a potential game-tying drive into a Raiders victory formation. Shough himself has to answer for three giveaways, even if some pressure was self-inflicted by his shaky offensive line.
There's no single villain here, but if forced to rank the blame, Richards' fourth-quarter collapse up front, the secondary's inability to make a single impactful play, and the Johnson fumble that ended any hope of a comeback are the three factors that turned a winnable divisional-style statement game into a demoralizing home-opener defeat. The Saints have shown they can compete with anyone through three weeks, but until they clean up these specific breakdowns, upset losses like this one will keep finding them.