Saints' flattering stats belie game-changing gaffes and failures in the clutch

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Collectively, the New Orleans Saints have outscored their opponents 127-70 through four games and are among the NFL leaders in a number of offensive and defensive categories.

Yet, they are facing the very real possibility of having a losing record by the end of Week 5.

Failures to close out a pair of close games on consecutive Sundays hasve made the Saints a case study in how misleading statistics can be.

“I still feel great about this team,” fourth-year Saints linebacker Pete Werner said Monday. “We have such a talented team — in my opinion, the best team that I’ve been a part of since I’ve been here. We’ve got all the confidence in the world because we know we’ve got the players. We just have to go out and execute.”

The Saints have been ahead on the scoreboard in the last two minutes of all four of their games. Their leads over Carolina and Dallas in Weeks 1 and 2 were insurmountable. Not so in Weeks 3 and 4, games they lost by a combined total of five points.

In Atlanta on Sunday, the Saints outgained the Falcons in the air and on the ground. New Orleans ran 19 more offensive plays than Atlanta and possessed the ball for nearly 36 minutes.

Yet the Saints left the field with a 26-24 loss — and a two-game skid — after the Falcons' Younghoe Koo made a 58-yard field goal with 2 seconds left.

Two costly plays — one on offense and one on special teams — kept the Falcons in the game on Sunday.

Receiver Rashid Shaheed, normally reliable on kickoff and punt returns, uncharacteristically decided to field a punt near the 10-yard line and muffed it into the end zone, where Atlanta recovered it for a touchdown. Later, Derek Carr's attempted screen pass was batted high in the air and intercepted for a touchdown.

“We've got to eliminate some of the mistakes that cost us,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. “This week, I felt like we played good enough to win in a lot of areas and still came away with a loss. So, that was frustrating.”

Even while missing key players such as linebacker Demario Davis and safety Tyrann Mathieu, the Saints' defense remarkably kept Kirk Cousins and the Falcons' offense out of the end zone for an entire game.

Late-game execution. Against the Eagles, the Saints fell behind 15-12 after a major defensive bust on a 61-yard passing play that set up a short Philadelphia TD run with 1:01 left. Then, needing only a field goal to tie, the Saints turned the ball over when Carr threw a second-down interception under pressure.

At Atlanta, a pass interference penalty by cornerback Paulson Adebo — who might otherwise have been one of the stars of the game because of his interception and three pass breakups and 12 tackles — set up Koo's winning kick.

“We’ve got to find a way to make the plays at the end," Allen said. “When you want to be a good team, you’re going to play in a lot of tightly contested games and we’ve got to find ways to win those things.”

Versatile tight end Taysom Hill had two touchdowns rushing in the first half in Atlanta before leaving the game in the second quarter with his second upper body injury this season.

While Shaheed's eight catches for 83 yards gave him a third productive game as a receiver this season, he was held out of the end zone for a second straight week and his muffed punt was a pivotal error in what could turn out to be a crucial divisional loss.

In addition to losing Hill, linebacker Willie Gay Jr. went out in the first quarter with a hand injury, further depleting depth at that position with Davis (hamstring) already out. Guard Cesar Ruiz missed (ankle) Sunday's game and his status for Week 5 is unclear. Mathieu, who has played through heel and calf ailments this season, injured his groin in Atlanta and did not play in the second half.

4 — The number of touchdowns allowed by New Orleans' defense through four games this season.

New Orleans travels to face defending champion Kansas City in a Monday night game on Oct. 7. If the Saints want to avoid a three-game skid, they'll have to find a way to hand the Chiefs (4-0) their first loss this season.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen watchs a replay during the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill (7) runs into the end zone for a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Atlanta Falcons linebacker Troy Andersen (44) runs into the end zone on an interception against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dee Alford (20) breaks up a pass intended for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Atlanta Falcons place kicker Younghoe Koo, of South Korea, kicks a game winning 58-yard field goal against the New Orleans Saints during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen speaks after an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Atlanta. The Atlanta Falcons won 26-24. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) fumbles a punt that leads to a Atlanta Falcons touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers didn't make any big moves in the offseason, opting instead to stay on course with a long-term rebuilding project.

Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton and Anfernee Simons will form the team's nucleus as Portland continues to develop young players, including Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson.

“I like where we are at with this roster, but I love where we are headed,” GM Joe Cronin said Monday during the team's media day.

The Blazers went 21-61 last season after trading away All-Star Damian Lillard and failed to make the playoffs for the third straight year. They were stung by injuries, with Simons, Sharpe and Henderson missing a combined 105 games.

There's no doubt the Blazers are a young team. Grant, 30, is the most experienced with 10 years in the NBA. Ayton and Simons have six years each in the league.

Sharpe, 21, is embarking on his third year, while the 20-year-old Henderson was a rookie last year. Both struggled with injuries, which slowed their progress. Simons injured his thumb in the season opener and required surgery.

Grant led Portland with an average of 21 points a game, while Ayton averaged 11.1 rebounds. Henderson led the team with 5.4 assists per game.

Portland made its biggest move of the season on draft day, selecting Donovan Clingan with the seventh pick. They picked up forward Deni Avdija in July in a trade with the Washington Wizards.

Coach Chauncey Billups was clear that he understands where the Blazers stand in the process and that the payoff may not come this year.

“I just want our guys to be connected, I want our guys to know each other, I want them to play for each other. We don’t have that go get a bucket iso guy every single time. So we can’t afford to play that way," Billups said. "We’ve got to play fast. We’ve got to move the basketball. We’ve got to help each other on defense. We’ve got to do all the small things to even be competitive."

Billups said Portland will focus on speed. The Blazers tried to emphasize it last year, but injuries thwarted those plans.

"We’ve been focusing on this year, already just with our pickup games and letting them just hoop. The biggest thing I've been telling them is just play fast, have fun,” Billups said.

Simons, who is one of the most experienced players on the team even though he's just 25, was looking forward to it.

"It will be fun. Obviously, we have a young, young team that’s very athletic and can do a lot of different things. So I think us playing fast plays to our advantage," Simons said.

The Blazers' lone rookie on the roster is Clingan, who averaged 15.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocks for the UConn Huskies in the NCAA Tournament but admitted that the NBA is a whole new ballgame. He'll be tutored by Ayton, who said Clingan uses his body well for a big man.

“I'm a freshman again,” the back-to-back NCAA champion said. “I'm here to learn, I'm here to get better. I gotta put in my work every single day, I gotta show I belong at this level.”

The Blazers will honor Hall of Famer Bill Walton with a tie-dye jersey band that includes Walton's No. 32 in white.

Named the NBA Finals MVP in 1977 when he led the Blazers to their only league championship, Walton passed away in May at 71.

The team also announced on Monday that Brightside Windows, a local Portland company, would be the jersey patch sponsor for both the Blazers and the Rip City Remix, the team's G League affiliate.

Last season Blazers' games were on Root Sports, a regional network owned by the Seattle Mariners. But the relationship soured last season when the channel wasn't available to Xfinity customers without an additional fee.

The deal ended in August and last week the Blazers announced a new deal with Sinclair Broadcasting Group to show games over the air on Sinclair stations across Oregon and Washington.

The Blazers are also introducing a direct-to-consumer streaming service called BlazerVision.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson records himself during the NBA basketball team's media day in Portland, Ore., Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)

Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson poses for a photo during the NBA basketball team's media day in Portland, Ore., Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)

Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton poses for a photo during the NBA basketball team's media day in Portland, Ore., Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)