Inglewood, Calif. — It wasn't the objective, but on Saturday, the New Orleans Saints very much resembled a team that was completing a grueling road trip and desperately needed to return home.
Joint practices on Tuesday and Thursday preceded Saturday's preseason game against the Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., and the zest New Orleans exhibited earlier in the week seemed absent in Saturday's 34-0 loss.
"There's going to be some challenging lessons coming out of this game, but I think it's going to be lessons nevertheless," Coach Kellen Moore said. "That just shows you the discipline, the details of football. It's a game of execution and I think at the end of the day, we didn't prepare (ourselves) well enough from a coaching perspective. Our guys weren't there, so we've got to reset together."
The Saints trailed 20-0 at halftime and the ledger reflected the lopsidedness: The Rams led 19-4 in first downs, 272-98 in total yards and 47-25 in plays from scrimmage. And it didn't get better from there, as the Saints committed two turnovers in the red zone (one, an interception returned for a touchdown), another interception that led to a touchdown, missed a field goal attempt and committed 12 penalties.
"Regular season, preseason, does not matter: Those aren't the ones you want," Moore said. "That was a big-time missed opportunity for us. Starts with me; we didn't respond the right way. Film is your resume in this league as coaches and players. We didn't coach well enough to prepare ourselves to take advantage of this opportunity."
Regarding the penalties, Moore said it was a "lack of discipline, lack of detail. A lot of them are under our control."
Sifting was required to reveal nuggets.
The Martin show
Cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. didn't play past the first quarter, and he didn't need to. The Saints have already seen enough from Emerson, who missed last season after rupturing his Achilles. But he added this to his resume: Four tackles and a pass breakup on the first two series of the game (didn't get credited with a PBU on one pass where he forced the receiver out of bounds before he could tap in both feet). Yes, he also picked up a holding penalty, but what he mostly has done is hold up at cornerback regardless of the unit he has played with.
Running back room
There's no questioning Kendre Miller's talent. The concern — and it will remain so until otherwise noted — is whether the fourth-year running back can stay healthy and available. He made his preseason debut Saturday and posted 22 yards on six carries, and a 29-yard kickoff return. Modest numbers, but his importance has substantially elevated due to injuries to Alvin Kamara, Audric Estimé and Devin Neal. He can run between the tackles and bounce outside. He can do pretty much everything you want, he just has to be available to do it.
Wright time
Punter Ryan Wright had 55- and 52-yard punts in the preseason opener against Jacksonville sandwiched around a 15-yarder, then boomed a 58-yarder on his first attempt against the Rams. His four punts averaged 45 yards (one was downed inside the 20), but give a hefty assist to cornerback Mike Reid on the 58-yarder. Reid hustled down the field and made the tackle after a 3-yard return, covering a lot of real estate to make a solo tackle in space. That kind of hustle and finish draws attention.
Good and bad for the QBs
It's hard to say whether Zach Wilson (6 of 12 for 55 yards and an interception) or Spencer Rattler (14 of 23 for 141 yards and an interception) separated from the other in the race for No. 2 quarterback. Neither performed particularly well, and neither was helped much.
Wilson started, had some positives erased by penalties, missed a few throws and threw an interception on a mixup with receiver Bub Means. But throws like his 14-yarder to tight end Moliki Matavao in the first quarter, where he dropped it over safety Nate Valcarcel to convert a third-and-7, showed the promise. (Matavao caught three passes for 34 yards, but left with an injury).
Much the same, Rattler led the offense on a march down the field but threw an interception at the goal line that was returned 100 yards for a touchdown. But he also completed a 25-yarder to receiver Jalen Moreno-Cropper, who came down with the deep pass while drawing a defensive pass interference penalty (it was declined). The mixed bag for each didn't lead to a definitive statement for either.
"We pushed these guys this week, we challenged them with some big-time opportunities — some joint practices and this game," Moore said. "I love the work collectively that we had over the course of the week. It's just that we missed an opportunity here. I've got to prepare our guys, I've got to get our heads ready to go for this opportunity."
