Saints HC Kellen Moore says exactly what he probably shouldn’t about his questionable challenge on non-fumble vs. Rams
The Saints HC made a surprising error on Sunday.
The New Orleans Saints were helpless in Week 9, losing to the Los Angeles Rams, 34-10. The game was out of hand by halftime, and rookie quarterback Tyler Shough’s first start was spoiled by zero running game, an exposed defense, and little time of possession.
Saints head coach Kellen Moore made an odd decision during the second half, and he was asked about it after the defeat. His answer only made the choice even cloudier from his perspective.
Kellen Moore admits that he didn’t see the replay before confusing challenge
During the loss, Moore made a befuddling decision to challenge a play that, by all accounts, seemed fairly straightforward. In the second half, Matthew Stafford lost the football after going down. Both an elbow and a knee was down. From broadcast replays, he looked down from every single angle. Even then, the red challenge flag was thrown by Moore. Fans were confused, and the young head coach explained why after the loss.
Moore mentioned that he didn’t see the replay before throwing the challenge flag. As the road team, he felt like the Rams stadium wasn’t giving a clear view quick enough, and if he is telling the truth, there was no communication from upstairs that he should challenge it.
“Just trying to give ourself an opportunity there. Obviously, didn’t see it until after I’d thrown the flag. We’re the road team, and so, we felt like there was some compelling… It was quick, and we made a decision to see if we can steal a possession.” — Kellen Moore on challenging Stafford fumble
Of course, the Saints lost the challenge and their first timeout of the second half on a play that was fairly cut and dry. During an attempted massive comeback, those decisions are costly. The Saints didn’t play nearly well enough to get back into fighting distance, though.
This reveal from Moore was one he did not really need to make. Mentioning that he had not seen the replay just made the choice even more of a head-scratcher for fans and media both. Regardless, he did take the blame for it.
Going forward, it will be intriguing to see how Moore navigates the tough questions that will come for this team that seems destined for a top five overall pick in next year’s draft. The schedule isn’t going to allow them much breathing room, and they are struggling on both sides of the football enough right now to stay in the basement of the NFC.
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