Derek Carr fooled us all again before turning his attention back to a pumpkin

It was a crazy game that went right to the end and the New Orleans Saints had to throw themselves over the edge afterwards. New Orleans is on a two-game losing streak after a 2-0 start to the season. Falling en route to the arch-rival Atlanta Falcons when their backs were against it certainly stings, but it was the way the Saints left the Falcons behind in this game that stinks.

Atlanta didn’t score an offensive touchdown but still managed to win this crucial Week 4 game against the Saints 26-24. The Falcons’ two touchdowns came from special teams and defense. Rashid Shaheed parried a punt he shouldn’t have attempted, allowing KhaDarel Hodge to get on top in the end zone. Then there was the pick-six thrown by one Derek Carr…

You have to give Matthew Judon a lot of credit for making the pass rush happen. The tipped pass at the line of scrimmage, set up by Carr attempting to throw a sidearm to counterbalance, resulted in six points the other way. Troy Andersen had a tremendous awareness of taking this one home. The four more points that Atlanta scored on the afternoon came at the expense of Younghoe Koo, who scored the winning score with 58 yards.

Given that his counterpart, Kirk Cousins, wasn’t playing, Carr’s deficiencies only increased.

Statistically, Carr was better than Cousins. He completed 28 of 26 passes for 239 yards but one interception. Cousins ​​was slightly less accurate, completing 21 of 35 passes for 238 yards and one pick. But when the game reached a critical point, Carr leaned on his teammates like running back Alvin Kamara instead of being the aggressor like Cousins ​​tried to be for the Falcons.

In the afternoon, the Saints’ three touchdowns all came from the run. Inspector Gadget Taysom Hill had to face the game himself twice before having to retire from the game with an abdominal injury. Kamara, a native of Atlanta, scored the go-ahead touchdown within two minutes, making it 24:23 for the Saints. While Carr completed some big passes for Chris Olave and Co., we all expected more.

The frustrating part for the Saints is that this is Carrs’ second time with the team. He may have a new offensive coordinator in Klint Kubiak, but he knows pretty much all of his New Orleans teammates well. As for Cousins, not only has he overcome the worst injury of his career, he also has to learn about all of his new teammates and familiarize himself with the intricacies of being a first-time OC player.

In short, New Orleans had a slight coaching advantage in this game, leaving a Falcons team still trying to figure it out at home in the first leg of the biennial rivalry series. Atlanta is 2-0 in conference play with wins over the Saints, a team New Orleans lost to two weeks ago in the reeling Philadelphia Eagles. The Saints need to pick up the pieces while Atlanta has a short week.

Overall, you could feel the momentum changing in the tight NFC South race as soon as Koo’s career-long field goal went through the uprights with seconds left. Tampa Bay looks strong and Atlanta will get its first taste of the Buccaneers Football on Thursday evenings this week. For now, the Saints need to go back to the drawing board to figure out how Carr can be the one to win their games.

The Saints face a tough test as they face the Kansas City Chiefs Monday Night Football.