Saints should have kicked deep after cutting margin to eight

With 3:53 remaining and no timeouts, the Saints unexpectedly cut their 23-point deficit to eight, and they chose an onside kick instead.

strike. It was awkward, unexpected, as the Saints appeared ready to throw it away before making a move to try and

That failed, just like most onside kicks do.

The Saints ought to have started quickly. Although head coach Dennis Allen is correct in saying the Saints

Giving the ball to Los Angeles at their own 25 is a far cry from the Rams, who they hadn’t been stopping very well.

from clearing their throat at the 45 in New Orleans.

Just now, the Saints had stopped a punt. The Rams may have designed their play calling with the dread of a second one in mind.

They might have been more aggressive, perhaps too aggressive, in order to avoid another punt.

It is possible that they misfired once or twice, resulting in an incompleteness that would have halted the timer.

Still, if the Rams had opened on their own 25, the mentality of the drive would have been very different.

When they recovered the onside kick and gained field position, they were able to think the game was effectively over once more. Had they been 25 years old, it would not have been. Not immediately, anyhow.

Furthermore, the thirty yards of field position matter a lot, even though the Saints still had a chance to force a punt.

In any case, the Saints would have lost. It wasn’t and isn’t the right strategy to bank on an onside kick at a period when very few onside kicks are recovered.

Read more on sportupdates.co.uk