The New Orleans Saints thought they had a golden win in Florida, but it turned out to be fool's gold. The Saints absorbed their fourth defeat in the last five games after they were shellshocked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 17-16, on the road in Week 13 of the 2022 NFL season. The Saints failed to stave off the Bucs in the final four minutes of the game and fell to another one of Tom Brady's patented late-game comebacks. They are now 4-9, bringing up the rear in the NFC South. Here we'll discuss the four Saints most to blame for their heartbreaking Week 13 loss vs. the Buccaneers.

The Saints' season is effectively finished. That much is true after they blew a fourth-quarter lead against the Buccaneers. They were ahead 16-3 late in the game, but they let Brady & Co. back into the game and finally lost the lead late. New Orleans had numerous chances to put this game away, but they were simply unable to do so.

Their late-game gaffes were the primary reason the Saints are now done for the season. However, they didn't help themselves much earlier in the game either. The Saints defense forced two Tampa Bay turnovers, but both resulted in just field goals, not touchdowns. What makes it worse is that the offense got inside the red zone in each of those times.

Those lapses in execution may have gone unnoticed in the frantic final minutes of this game. However, had they found the end zone on even one of those trips, it would have been too much for Brady to overcome. Following their bye in Week 14, the Saints will prepare for another NFC South showdown with the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15 on December 18.

For now, let us look at the four Saints most to blame for their Week 13 loss vs. the Buccaneers.

4. CB Paulson Adebo

One key moment in the Saints' fourth-quarter meltdown was the pass interference call on New Orleans CB Paulson Adebo. On 2nd and 20 at the New Orleans 45, Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo let Mike Evans get behind him. Adebo grabbed and was flagged for pass interference. On the next play, Tom Brady threw one yard to Cade Otton for a touchdown that cut the Saints' lead to 16-10.

Adebo had three tackles for the whole game, but this was just what fans will remember him for the most.

3. Running Game

RB Mark Ingram II had seven carries for 27 yards and five catches for 22 yards. Meanwhile, Alvin Kamara rushed for 26 yards and caught two of three targets for 11 yards.

For the first time since Week 4, Ingram had double-digit touches as part of a balanced workload with Kamara. Both backs, though, failed to make any big runs against Tampa Bay's defense. Ingram also remained down on the field for a brief while after being tackled along the sideline early in the second half.

For the sixth game in a row, Kamara underperformed expectations. He averaged fewer than four yards per carry. Take note that the five-time Pro Bowler had been stymied by three of the league's best rushing defenses in his previous three games. Here, however, he failed to break a run longer than five yards against a Buccaneers defense that allowed 4.6 yards per carry entering Week 13. Kamara also had his worst receiving stat line of the season. The running back has recently been forced to play behind an injured offensive line, and this unit should rest during New Orleans' upcoming bye week.

2. QB Andy Dalton

Saints QB Andy Dalton went 20-for-28 throwing for 229 yards and one score in the Buccaneers' 17-16 loss on Monday. It was his eighth straight loss in a primetime game.

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JC Latham (Alabama), Chris Braswell (Alabama not Jaguars), Cornelieus Johnson (Michigan) in action behind a New Orleans Saints logo with a 2024 NFL Draft background.

Dylan Bruton ·

Dalton actually had a decent running game, averaging 8.2 yards per carry against a Tampa Bay team that was tied for eighth in yards per attempt allowed (6.6) before Week 13. Despite this, the veteran threw for fewer than 250 yards for the eighth time in ten starts. His scoring output was also limited by New Orleans' inefficiency in the red zone.

We feel like Jameis Winston should have played here instead. That's not Dalton's fault. That's on coach Dennis Allen, which brings us to…

1. Head Coach Dennis Allen

Saints head coach Dennis Allen's poor decision-making on Monday night set the stage for a fourth-quarter meltdown against the Buccaneers.

On a fourth-down attempt, New Orleans had a chance to keep the offense on the field. If the Saints had converted, it would have taken valuable time off the clock and kept the ball out of Brady's hands. The Saints actually got the ball back with a 13-point lead and 6:54 left on the clock after forcing the Bucs offense to go three-and-out. They had advanced the ball across midfield to the Tampa Bay 44-yard line and faced a fourth-and-1 situation. Instead of going for it with the lead in that spot to try to move the chain and kill the clock, Dennis Allen punted the ball away. Brady then drove 91 yards down the field for their first touchdown of the night to close the gap to six points.

This should be enough motivation for Allen to move on from New Orleans. The decision to kick field goals of 21, 29, and 38 yards while punting three times from within Buccaneers territory was terrible. However, fans aren't shocked. That has been part of a pattern for Allen. He has coached terrified in high-leverage fourth-down situations all season. That's just who he is.