NEW ORLEANS — Despite having Alvin Kamara, Jared Cook and Drew Brees, the Saints offense couldn't keep the ball or convert 3rd downs. The Saints converted only 3 of 12 3rd downs Sunday in the Superdome.
The Atlanta Falcons converted 6 of 15 third downs, but they also got 6 1st downs from penalties.
During his postgame press conference, New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton said the third downs conversion numbers were very telling.
"Tomorrow, it'll be tough to watch it, but shame on us if we can't get those corrections made," Payton said. "That won't be a problem."
The Saints had the ball for 26 minutes, making 63 total plays for a total of 310 yards. They did poorly in the Red Zone, failing to score the three times they were there.
Drew Brees had a quarterback rating of 87.9 against the Falcons on Sunday, completing 32 of 45 passes for a total of 287 yards.
"Sometimes the difference between continuing a drive, getting that third down conversion, or making that big play — its inches or fractions of a second," Brees said during a press conference after the game. "Obviously 9 points is not what we aspire to score especially at home."
He was sacked 6 times, losing 46 yards. The Falcons defense had only 7 sacks for the season before Sunday's game.
Michael Thomas lead the Saints offense in receptions, catching 13 of 14 passes for 152 yards. Alvin Kamara had 74 yards overall.
Marcus Williams caught the lone interception of the game in the 4th quarter, and Wil Lutz made all three field goals.
