4 Saints to blame for Lions loss that further pushes NO out of playoff picture

James Hurst

Carr is to blame, but had the Saints been able to keep Carr on the field toward the end of this one, you have a feeling they have a better chance of squeezing out a late win than they did with Jameis Winston running the show.

He did put together solid momentum with two touchdown drives to start the second half. He seemed to be sort of figuring things out, finally.

Instead, because of a play in which Hurst was caught blocking the wrong man and leaving a hole for Bruce Irvin, Carr was pile-driven into the ground. The play was rightly flagged for roughing the passer, but the damage was done for the Saints, who lost Carr to concussion protocol after he struggled to get off the field.

Earlier in the game, a fumble that was recovered by the Lions was knocked out of Carr's hands on a dropback by Hurst. The Saints had momentum, generating a touchdown on the previous two drives, and that fumble gave the Lions an extra red zone possession on which they scored a touchdown.

Were it not for the fumble and the loss of Carr, both of which Hurst played a hand in, they may have walked away victorious. Instead, another loss.