The New Orleans Saints didn’t play their best, but they did put together enough good football to win their season opener by defeating the visiting Tennessee Titans 16-15 at the Caesar’s Superdome on Sunday afternoon.
For the second straight year the Saints won their first game of the season by a single point. This time it was the Saints that had to hold on as the final seconds ticked away.
Derek Carr got his first victory in a Saints uniform, completing 23-of-33 passes for 305 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Saints’ defense limited the Titans to 285 total yards and forced three turnovers, intercepting Ryan Tannehill three times. Winning the turnover battle was vital as New Orleans scored 10 points off of those mistakes.
New Orleans also got three sacks and held Tennessee without a touchdown in three red zone appearances.
Just For Kicks
Rookie kicker Blake Grupe was a perfect 3-for-3 on his field goal attempts. Each kick provided a tying score for the Saints, who didn’t take their first lead until there was 1:23 remaining in the third quarter.
The atmosphere was electric with Steve Gleason serving as an honorary captain and Drew Brees on hand. That changed in an instant when Rashid Shaheed fumbled the opening kickoff. The Saints defense pushed the Titans back, forcing the first of Nick Folk’s five field goals.
With Carr finally getting to take control of the offense on the ensuing possession, he gave the fans plenty to be excited about. His first official pass was a 25 yard completion to Michael Thomas that got the Saints to midfield.
Carr completed his first four passes, hitting three different receivers as he led the Saints into the Red Zone. Unfortunately, the drive would stall at the eight yard line and Grupe would tie the score with a 26-yard kick.
Both teams would exchange field goals and interceptions as the Titans took a 9-6 lead into the locker room.
The Titans opened the second half the way the Saints opened the first…with a turnover.
Tannehill threw one deep down the left side of the field, looking for Chris Moore. Instead, the ball ended up in the hands of Marcus Maye. Maye led the secondary with six tackles and also had a pass breakup as well.
Carr and the offense would go 60 yards in seven plays to set up Grupe’s third field goal, tying the score at 9-9.
Tannehill would throw his third interception of the day. This time it was Paulson Adebo who came away with the pick.
Finally, Saints fans got the moment they had been waiting for on the next drive. Facing a third and seven from the Titans’ 19 yard line, Carr threw a strike to Shaheed for the first touchdown pass of his Saints career. Grupe’s extra point made it 16-9 going into the fourth quarter.
Tennessee scored on both of its possessions in the final frame, but the Saints defense was able to limit those to field goals rather than TDs. The offense put the game away with a 9-play, 59-yard drive that ate the final 2:17.
Big Catches
Chris Olave led all receivers with eight catches for 112 yards. Shaheed had five for 89 yards including a 41-yard bomb on third down that extended the game-ending possession. Michael Thomas also had five receptions and added 61 yards in his first action since week three of last season.
The offensive line remains a question mark. The Saints managed only 69 yards on the ground on 27 attempts, surrendered four sacks, and committed more than its share of the team’s seven penalties.
Despite all of that, Carr stood tall in the pocket and led his team to a much-needed win.
The Saints travel to Charlotte next week to face the Carolina Panthers (0-1) in their NFC South opener on Monday Night Football.
Stats
The Saints are 6-5 under Dennis Allen when holding opponents to 20 points or less.
New Orleans improved to 3-7 during Allen’s tenure when scoring 20 points or less.
The Saints had three interceptions in a game for the first time since Sept. 26, 2021, when they picked off Patriots rookie Mac Jones three times in a 28-13 road win.
New Orleans had three interceptions and three sacks in the same game for the first time since Nov. 8, 2020 (38-3 win over Tampa Bay).