Saints lose to Washington 29-24

Ugly. That's about the only word I can use to describe the Saints' play in their 29-24 loss in Washington. Almost nothing went right for the Saints as their looked outmatched for much of the game, yet they held a 9-point lead in the 4th quarter. That's what makes this loss so disappointing.

The Saints were outgained 250 yards to 455 yards and were terrible running the ball, averaging only 2.9 yards per carry. Yet with six minutes left in the game, the Saints still hung onto a 24-15 lead, thanks mostly to Reggie Bush's punt return TD.

Nothing was going right for the Saints offense all day. Drew Brees was harassed and was forced into throwing two interceptions. TE Jeremy Shockey had a fumble on what looked to be a promising first half drive. With no running game, passing lanes weren't opening up and the Saints had trouble moving the ball all day.

The Saints defense wasn't great, but held Washington to 5 first half field goal attempts, with Washington only making 3 of those. The Saints held a 10-9 lead at the half.

With 3 defensive starters out and many backups still nursing injuries, the Saints couldn't hold on in the 4th quarter with the Redskins dominating the last quarter.

It wasn't all bad for New Orleans though. RB Deuce McAllister saw his first action of the year and had two nice carries for 10 yards. Its a wonder why he didn't get more touches. Also, WR Robert Meachem was active for the first time ever and contributed with a 19-yard TD catch.

This game showed that the Saints aren't as good as people thought they were and that the injuries on the defensive side of the ball were too much to overcome. Next week the Saints travel to Denver to take on the 2-0 Broncos.