3 lessons from Saints agonizing 26-24 loss in Week 4: Dennis Allen says it all

The New Orleans Saints went Old School Sunday, but not in a good way. They returned to their franchise's comical and hexed history of ineptitude in a 26-24 loss at Atlanta.

New Orleans (2-2) became the first team in the NFL to not allow an offensive touchdown, score 24 or more points and still lose since 1983. And guess which team was the last to do that? Why, the New Orleans Saints, of course!

And here comes more voodoo. The Saints lost that game by the same, haunting 26-24 score to the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 18, 1983, in New Orleans. The Rams scored all their points on two interception returns for touchdowns, a punt return for a touchdown and a safety before a game-winning, 42-yard field goal with 0:06 remaining. Had the Saints won that game in 1983, they would have had their first winning season at 9-7 and first playoff berth in history. Neither would come for another four years.

On Sunday, the Saints' offense scored three touchdowns on drives of 70, 53 and 42 yards while the defense held Atlanta's offense to four field goals. But the Falcons scored their other 14 points in the first half by recovering a fumbled punt return in the end zone and on a tipped pick-six off Saints quarterback Derek Carr.

The Falcons' last-minute drive for Younghoe Koo's 58-yard field goal for the win with 0:02 remaining covered all of 30 yards in five plays. And those 30 yards came on a pass interference call against the Saints' Paulson Adebo for a first down at the New Orleans 40-yard line with 23 seconds to go.

The Saints had just taken a 24-23 lead with one minute remaining on a 42-yard touchdown drive in nine plays that took 2:28. That came after their defense ‚ without co-captain and stud middle linebacker Demario Davis out with a hamstring injury — had risen to the occasion and forced a three-and-out punt from the Atlanta 14-yard line with under four minutes to play.

"It sucks to lose a game like that," Saints coach Dennis Allen said. "Those are the kind that rip your heart out. You can't spot your opponent 14 points and expect to win."

Here are three cardinal rules the Saints broke from which they need to learn:

Never field a punt inside your 5-yard line

The Saints had just forced a punt from Atlanta to start the game when always reliable punt returner — until this one that is — Rashid Shaheed appeared disoriented as he meandered back inside his 5-yard line and signaled a fair catch. But he lost track of where he was and how he was standing. He attempted to catch the punt sideways and muffed it.

Khadarel Hodge pounced on it in the end zone for a touchdown, and the Falcons took a 7-0 lead with 11:13 to play in the first quarter. Through 99 prior punt return opportunities with 49 returns and 50 fair catches, Hodge had never lost the ball.

"I didn't feel myself drifting back to the goal line as close as I was," Shaheed said.

"A bad decision," Allen said. "We don't ever want to field that ball."

When you're already a marked man for pass interference, be careful

Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo had already been whistled for two pass interference penalties on Sunday and five on the season. But he aggressively and obviously still interfered with Atlanta wide receiver Darnell Mooney in breaking up a deep pass from quarterback Kirk Cousins on 2nd-and-10 from the Atlanta 30 with 23 seconds left to play and the Saints up 24-23.

The Falcons declined the first two pass interference calls because their receiver made the catch anyway. Mooney did not catch this one, so the Falcons took the penalty for a 30-yard gain to the Saints' 40-yard line.

After three straight incomplete passes by Cousins, Koo kicked the game winner.

"If they're calling it, then I have to be less aggressive," Adebo said.

Paulson, they're calling it! And have been all season.

"That's all I'm focused on," Adebo said and grew contrite. "Just try to play clean the whole game. It's something I have to work on personally. Got to be better right there. I know a big part is on me."

Mooney also made a sneaky money play on Adebo by coaxing contact.

"The way the ball was sitting in the air, I knew I was going to have to draw something," Mooney said. "I was able to make Adebo push me a little earlier than he wanted to."

Sometimes a field goal is the right call

Saints coach Dennis Allen opted to go for it on 4th-and-Goal at the Atlanta 7-yard line with 4:01 to play and his team down 23-17. That's too many yards with too much time to go and your defense playing very well. An easy, 24-yard field goal there cuts Atlanta's lead to 23-20. Plenty of time for the Saints to force a punt and tie or take the lead with their next possession.

And, in fact, the Saints defense did force a three-and-out punt on Atlanta's next possession, and the Saints answered with a touchdown drive to take a 24-23 lead. With the field goal instead of the fourth down try, the Saints would have been up by 27-23 with the previous field goal. And Atlanta would have needed to score a touchdown in the final moments without any timeouts.

Going for it on fourth-and-7 is a desperate move only necessary with much less time remaining or a bad defense.