A 24-10 defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons was another blow to an already bad season so far for the New Orleans Saints. The QB switch also couldn’t save them. The result matched the tone surrounding the team: flat, frustrated, and increasingly uncertain of the direction Moore has taken the offense. Now, post the loss, head coach Kellen Moore stepped right into the light and accepted fault.

“Red zone is on me, we’re not getting it done, so it’s simple that we’re not scoring touchdowns down there,” he said, while addressing the media.

The Saints went 0-for-3 in red-zone opportunities. His explanation centered on decision-making, structure, and situational judgment.

“Just some of the run game stuff, it’s a numbers game down there,” he said, referring to the Saints’ deliberate choice to deploy Taysom Hill in plus-one run situations, where the quarterback-run element gives an offense a statistical advantage. That advantage never materialized.

“It was a disappointing game,” Hill said. “We had plenty of opportunities as a team, as an offense to put us in a great situation to win that game, and we didn’t capitalize on that.”

Hill mentioned how things didn’t go they way they thought and rather appreciated their play, saying, “I mean, there’s no secret, right? When I’m at quarterback, we run the ball a lot, and we were counting on a heavy box and they made a good play.”

Moore later acknowledged the gamble directly.

“There would be some good opportunities. Felt like the run game in the plus one situation, there was a lot of evidence to support it would be a positive manner, it didn’t come out to our outcome,” he added.

It was the turning point that Atlanta exploited for the rest of the afternoon. Moore also pointed to the challenges of Tyler Shough’s first NFC South start, saying there were plenty of opportunities for Tyler that were hard situations and challenging situations. The tape backs that up.

Shough was sacked five times and hit nine. His bottom-line assessment was blunt: The Saints had three opportunities to score touchdowns and came away with only three points, a failure he insisted was his.

Moore’s offense is averaging 15 points per game through eleven weeks, and the struggles appear to be systemic.

The Saints can’t run efficiently, can’t protect, and can’t finish drives. Whether it’s scheme implementation, play sequencing, or personnel usage, Moore openly shouldered the blame because the problems now define his identity as a play caller far more than the credentials he was hired for.

On the other hand, the quarterback switch became one of the most scrutinized elements of the loss.

Tyler Shough on Kellen Moore QB move

At the goal line and in several high-leverage situations, Moore repeatedly removed rookie quarterback Tyler Shough in favor of Taysom Hill. Moore defended the approach by calling it situational football.

Shough echoed that sentiment.

”I’m trying to do whatever it takes to get in the end zone. If Taysom scores on a run, I’m equally as fired up,” he said.

But the execution simply wasn’t there. Instead of producing the expected advantage, the Saints’ plus-one run approach backfired.

Hill averaged just 1.7 yards per carry on 10 attempts, repeatedly getting stonewalled as Atlanta committed bodies to the interior gaps. And with the failed shotgun snap looming over the game, Moore’s decision-making naturally became the focal point.

Despite that, Moore insisted the intention behind the switch was sound. The evidence in the game, however, painted a different picture. Shough’s best drive of the afternoon, the 74-yard march to open the third quarter, ended without him having the chance to finish it.

Hill’s red-zone carries, the failed snap, and a subsequent stalled fourth-down attempt became the defining moments of a loss where the Saints’ offense never found cohesion.