New Orleans Saints

Saints Collapse in Fourth Quarter, Blow 11-Point Lead in 35–27 Loss to Raiders

Tyler Shough threw four touchdowns, but four fourth-quarter turnovers and 19 unanswered Raiders points doomed the Saints in a 35–27 loss.

Saints Collapse in Fourth Quarter, Blow 11-Point Lead in 35–27 Loss to Raiders

by
The Who Dat Daily Staff
2026-09-28

The New Orleans Saints appeared ready to celebrate their home opener with a statement victory.

Instead, a promising afternoon inside the Caesars Superdome deteriorated into a fourth-quarter disaster.

New Orleans surrendered an 11-point second-half advantage, committed four turnovers during the final quarter and watched the Las Vegas Raiders score 19 unanswered points to escape with a 35–27 victory Sunday.

The loss dropped the Saints to 1-2 and overshadowed a career performance from Tyler Shough, who completed 29 of 42 passes for 255 yards and four touchdowns. Shough connected with Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant for two scores apiece, but his late fumble and interception helped Las Vegas seize control.

Saints finally start fast

After entering Week 3 with only six first-half points through two games, the Saints opened with the urgency Kellen Moore had been demanding.

Shough engineered a 13-play, 79-yard drive and found Johnson for a two-yard touchdown that gave New Orleans a 6–3 advantage. Daniel Carlson’s extra-point attempt was blocked, but the score represented an encouraging change for an offense that had repeatedly fallen behind early.

The Raiders responded with a three-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to Michael Mayer, but Shough answered before halftime by locating Fant for a three-yard score.

Las Vegas took a 16–13 lead into the break following Matt Gay’s 25-yard field goal.

Although the Saints trailed, their offense had moved the football efficiently and avoided the deep early deficit that defined the first two games.

A third-quarter surge puts New Orleans in control

The Saints took command during an explosive stretch in the third quarter.

Shough delivered his third touchdown pass of the afternoon, finding Johnson from one yard out to put New Orleans ahead 20–16.

Momentum swung even further when Anfernee Jennings forced Dylan Laube to fumble the ensuing kickoff. Jordan Howden recovered at the Las Vegas 32-yard line, giving the Saints an immediate opportunity to extend their advantage.

New Orleans capitalized.

Travis Etienne Jr. broke a 16-yard run before Shough connected with Fant for another 16-yard touchdown. Carlson’s extra point pushed the Saints’ lead to 27–16.

Shough had thrown four touchdown passes, the Superdome was alive and New Orleans appeared positioned to close out its second consecutive victory.

Everything changed from there.

Raiders score 19 unanswered points

Las Vegas responded with a 36-yard touchdown run from rookie Mike Washington Jr. The Raiders failed on the ensuing two-point conversion, leaving New Orleans ahead 27–22.

The Saints still controlled the game, but their offense could not protect either the football or Shough during the fourth quarter.

Malcolm Koonce reached Shough as the quarterback began his throwing motion, knocking the ball loose. The ruling became a major point of controversy, but officials awarded possession to Las Vegas after Maxx Crosby recovered.

Cousins immediately converted the short field into points, finding Cody White for a four-yard touchdown that gave the Raiders a 28–27 lead.

New Orleans never recovered.

On the following possession, pressure forced Shough into an inaccurate throw that rookie cornerback Hezekiah Masses intercepted and returned inside the Saints’ 10-yard line.

Three plays later, Cousins connected with Brock Bowers for a four-yard touchdown, extending the Las Vegas advantage to 35–27.

The Saints later turned the ball over on downs before mounting one final possession. Shough completed a 22-yard pass to Johnson to move New Orleans into scoring range, but Nakobe Dean stripped Johnson and Eric Stokes recovered to seal the result.

New Orleans finished the fourth quarter without a point while committing three lost fumbles and an interception.

Bowers exposes another defensive weakness

Bowers made an immediate impact in his season debut, catching 10 passes for 116 yards and the game’s final touchdown.

The Saints struggled to contain him from the Raiders’ opening possession. Cousins repeatedly found his tight ends underneath and between the coverage zones, allowing Las Vegas to remain ahead of the chains.

New Orleans also failed to force a defensive stop during the first half. Las Vegas scored on all four of its possessions before halftime, producing three field goals and Mayer’s touchdown.

Cousins completed 22 of 33 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns. He remained patient against the Saints’ coverage, absorbed pressure when necessary and took advantage of the short fields created by the Raiders’ defense.

The veteran has now thrown three touchdown passes in each of Las Vegas’ first three games.

Shough’s career day ends painfully

Shough’s final numbers demonstrate both his potential and the frustration surrounding this loss.

He threw four touchdowns, produced a 36-yard run and helped New Orleans build its largest lead of the season. His connection with Olave also remained productive, with the receiver collecting nine passes for 107 yards.

Johnson and Fant combined for four touchdowns, giving the Saints the kind of red-zone efficiency that had been missing through the opening two weeks.

But the game also demonstrated the thin margin Shough and the offense face when the protection breaks down.

Las Vegas increased its pressure late, forcing Shough to speed up his internal clock. The strip-sack and interception came on consecutive possessions, transforming an 11-point Saints lead into an eight-point deficit.

Shough was not solely responsible for the collapse. The offensive line lost control of the line of scrimmage, receivers failed to secure the football and the defense could not contain Bowers or protect the lead.

Still, the next stage of Shough’s development will be learning how to settle the offense when momentum begins moving in the wrong direction.

Etienne’s injury adds another concern

Etienne led the Saints with 57 yards on 13 carries but appeared to suffer a hamstring injury during his 16-yard run immediately before Fant’s second touchdown.

His availability will be important for an offense already searching for consistency on the ground.

The Saints averaged fewer than four yards per rushing attempt and became increasingly dependent on Shough as the afternoon progressed. If Etienne misses time, New Orleans may have to expand the roles of Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller while continuing to manage an injury-depleted offensive line.

Officiating controversy cannot excuse the collapse

The ruling on Shough’s fourth-quarter fumble will receive considerable attention.

Shough appeared to be beginning a forward throwing motion when Koonce knocked the ball loose. The decision was especially frustrating for New Orleans after a similar play involving Jared Goff was ruled an incomplete pass during the Saints’ Week 1 loss to Detroit.

There were other disputed penalties and no-calls throughout the game.

However, the Saints cannot place a loss featuring four fourth-quarter turnovers entirely on the officials.

New Orleans led 27–16 at home. The offense had the football and an opportunity to close the game. Instead, the Saints lost possession repeatedly, failed to score in the fourth quarter and allowed the Raiders to produce 19 unanswered points.

Controversial calls may have influenced the momentum. The collapse belonged to New Orleans.

A painful lesson before an NFC South showdown

The Saints have now played three dramatically different games.

They nearly completed a 21-point comeback against Detroit, finished a fourth-quarter rally against Baltimore and then surrendered an 11-point lead against Las Vegas.

Those performances demonstrate that New Orleans possesses enough talent to compete with quality opponents. They also reveal a team that has not yet learned how to play a complete four-quarter game.

The Raiders improved to 3-0 under Klint Kubiak. The Saints fell to 1-2 and wasted an opportunity to build momentum before an important divisional matchup.

New Orleans will remain home to face the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football in Week 4.

Before that game, Moore and his staff must address the protection breakdowns, ball-security failures and defensive problems against opposing tight ends.

The Saints proved Sunday that they could build a commanding lead.

They also learned—in the most painful way possible—that building one and finishing the game are two completely different challenges.