3 takeaways from Saints' Lambeau lay-down at Green Bay

The New Orleans Saints have been resisting a total rebuild ever since coach and de facto general manager Sean Payton "retired" following the 2021 season before beginning a successful rebuild at Denver in 2023. General manager Mickey Loomis and company promoted from within after that 9-8 season in '21 by hiring defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to be the head coach despite an 8-28 (.222 winning percentage) with the Raiders from 2012-14. They convinced themselves they were close. They weren't.

Allen went 7-10 in 2022 and 9-8 in 2023, and still the Saints' front office thought they were close. Finally, Allen was fired after a 2-7 start this season.Now, the Saints are 5-10 after a cold, final wakeup call in Green Bay Monday night by 34-0 that said defiantly to anyone not deaf that it is time to rebuild. Here are three takeaways from one of the top eight most lopsided losses of all time in Saints history.

1. Saints hit rock bottom

The day before the game, New Orleans was eliminated from the NFL playoffs, marking their fourth straight year out of the postseason - the longest stretch since five from 2001-05, pre-dating Payton's arrival in 2006.

Then at Lambeau Field, they suffered their worst shutout loss since a 38-0 beatdown by San Francisco on Jan. 6, 2002, in the regular season finale. That was their fourth straight loss by double digits, yet coach Jim Haslett was retained after a 7-9 season. So, is their hope for interim coach Darren Rizzi, who fell to 3-3 since replacing Allen?

There shouldn't be, but if general manager Mickey Loomis is retained at that position for a 24th straight season, he may have a shot. If not, should Saints owner Gayle Benson let Loomis make the hire after he is the one who hired Allen?

A loss like Monday night in Green Bay could deliver an epiphany to Benson. Loomis is 56-73 (.434 winning percentage) with no playoff appearances and no double-digit-win seasons as the Saints' GM without Payton (2002-05, 2012 during Payton's suspension, and 2021-24). With Payton as de facto general manager from 2006-21 (minus 2012), Loomis was 152-89 (.631) as general manager with nine playoff appearances, seven advances in the playoffs, seven NFC South titles, and the Super Bowl XLIV crown in the 2009-10 season.

The 34-0 loss was the Saints' most lopsided since the previous 34-point loss - 55-21 at home to Indianapolis on Sept. 28, 2003, when Peyton Manning threw for 314 yards and six touchdowns in his native New Orleans.

The 34-point differential is tied for the eighth worst in Saints history. With temperatures below freezing, the dome Saints looked out of sorts from the opening kickoff.

"We had 48 professional football players out there today, just like they did, and we didn’t play very well, and we didn’t coach very well. The whole thing wasn’t good,” Rizzi said.

"It's embarrassing," Saints radio network analyst and former quarterback Bobby Hebert said at halftime with the Saints down 21-0. "I mean, are we an NFL team? This is like Mike Ditka days."

Ditka and then-Saints general manager Bill Kuharich were fired after a 3-13 season in 1999.

"We just couldn't stop them," Saints' safety Tyrann Mathieu said of the Packers putting up 404 yards to the Saints' 196. "We just weren't ready. We thought we were."

2. Spencer Rattler and offense sputter profusely

New Orleans never reached inside the Green Bay 25-yard line on nine possessions in the game. It twice got inside the 30, but turnovers ended those drives. The Saints were shut out in the first half for the second straight week.

New Orleans mustered just 67 yards rushing on 20 carries without star back Alvin Kamara (groin). His replacement Kendre Miller gained 15 yards on eight rushes. Rookie, fifth-round pick quarterback Spencer Rattler started for Derek Carr (broken left hand) and managed to complete 15 of 30 passes for 153 yards with an interception and fumble around three sacks.

"Just embarrassing," Rattler said. "Embarrassing loss. I put it on myself. I did not play good at all, in my opinion. I just didn't have any answers. I have to protect the ball, and I've just got to be better."

Rattler is 0-4 as the Saints starter. He was 0-3 in October when Carr was out with an oblique injury.

"This team is not just going to lay down and quit," Rattler said. "We're going to come back to work, grind and just finish this season out. But it's tough."

The Saints had just 196 yards against a defense missing four starters - linebacker and leading tackler Quay Walker, cornerback Jaire Alexander and safeties Evan Williams and Javon Bullard.

“We came in with a plan for how we felt we could win this game," Rizzi said. "We didn’t accomplish any of those goals.”

3. Chasing history

With the loss and dropping to 5-10 with two games left, the Saints are in danger of their worst season since a 3-13 mark in the 2005 season when Hurricane Katrina's destruction of the Superdome roof moved Saints' home games to Baton Rouge and San Antonio.

"You've got to play for something bigger than the scoreboard," Saints veteran linebacker Demario Davis said.

The Saints host Las Vegas (3-12) on Sunday (12 p.m. central, FOX) and play at Tampa Bay (8-7) on the final weekend of the season (TBA).

"Play for your pride, play for your teammates," Rattler said. "Something more."

Or not, and move up in the draft.