New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough said he sympathized with fans who booed during Monday night’s 45-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, a game played on the 20th anniversary of the team’s return to the city after Hurricane Katrina.
“Fans understandably are upset,” Shough said during his postgame press conference. “We had some opportunities that we didn’t take advantage of and you’re playing the Falcons and you lose like that? I mean, I’d boo, too. That sucks.”
The Superdome crowd had gathered for what was meant to be a celebration of the franchise’s 2005 homecoming, but the mood soured quickly after Falcons running back Bijan Robinson scored twice in the first quarter to put Atlanta up 14-0. The Falcons kept the lead for most of the night, and boos rained down on the home team.
Shough called the performance embarrassing given what the game meant to the fan base.
“It’s extremely disappointing. It’s embarrassing,” Shough said. “I mean, I can’t say enough good things about the fans showing up, the entire process, what this game meant, and we fell short as a team to not get that win. So that was our mission. That was my message, and we didn’t win, and it was a team loss.”
He added that the Saints need to perform better across the board, starting with himself.
“We got to do better on all fronts and us as an offense starting faster when it comes to another really good offense as well and being able to do our part and we got to do a lot better there and it starts with myself,” Shough said.
Despite the loss, Shough said he still feels the support of the city and expects to need it again soon.
“We want to get everybody going. It’s part of it. You have to have the energy of the crowd and we’re gonna need them next week too against a really good team. That’s the best part about New Orleans. You feel it and we feel it too, and we’re gonna keep going,” he said.
A Rough Start to the Season
The Saints enter the week at 1-3 after finishing last season on a 4-1 stretch that had suggested momentum heading into this year. The defense has struggled badly, allowing the most points of any team in the NFL so far this season.
The offense, meanwhile, has held up its end, ranking tied for 10th in the league with 26.3 points per game alongside the Seattle Seahawks. But that production hasn’t been enough to offset the defensive issues.
New Orleans will try to turn things around Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at home against the 4-0 Minnesota Vikings.
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