At 0-2, the Saints‘ early narrative is one of near-misses and costly fumbles, a story of a team finding its footing the hard way. And in a single, gravity-defying moment during a practice routine, a cheerleader’s unexpected flight somehow encapsulated that very feeling of precarious uncertainty. Thankfully, the story has a safe landing.

Saints cheerleader Lily Lowry was sent airborne during a stunt, tumoring into the front row seats after a mishap with her male partners. The incident, caught on video, quickly became a bizarrely perfect metaphor for the Saints’ rocky start. With a resilience that mirrors the team’s own need to bounce back, Lowry was quick to reassure everyone she was okay, taking to Instagram with the kind of wit that defines a pro. She posted the video with the caption, “Air travel is so unpredictable these days.”

The clip, shared by Fletcher Mackey, was presented with a dose of dark humor: “If you need one video to sum up the Saints season so far, this could be it.” And he’s not wrong. The Black and Gold opened with a brutal 13-20 loss to the Cardinals, followed by a 21-26 heartbreaker to the 49ers, even with Brock Purdy sidelined.

There have been bright spots, though. QB Spencer Rattler notched a career-best 3 TD passes last week (yet to fix his offense), and Alvin Kamara exploded for 100 rushing yards, but they’ve been overshadowed by mistakes, like Kamara’s costly fumble that directly led to a Niners touchdown.

For head coach Kellen Moore, this week offers a chance to reset far from the Superdome’s frustrations. The Saints head to Seattle for their first road game, which doubles as a homecoming for Moore, a native of Washington. As Moore himself said, “Yeah, it’ll be fun. Obviously, I grew up there in the state of Washington, so it’ll be a lot of fun to be back up there.”

He sees the trip as a bonding opportunity for his 0-2 squad, adding, “I’m really excited for our team. It’s our first road game. I think road games are really fun. You get to go up there together as a team… There’s not a whole lot of other people on your side of the game, and so it’ll be a lot of fun.” He did, however, acknowledge the challenge ahead.

A homecoming amidst the chaos

Noting the Seahawks’ home-field advantage makes for a “really cool environment, really fun environment, challenging. There’s a lot of challenges with playing up there and the crowd noise.” The oddsmakers agree, installing the Saints as 7.5-point underdogs.

Lowry’s graceful handling of her tumble isn’t surprising when you consider her journey. A Lafayette native, she was the only freshman from her region to make the LSU cheer squad back in 2015, a feat she achieved after a grueling 13-hour day of tryouts under the watchful eyes of eight judges. In an interview back then, she displayed the same fearlessness, saying of the complex stunts, “No. The guys are really good. It’s so much fun.” Her advice to aspiring cheerleaders was to practice, get gymnastics experience, and most importantly, “give them a really big smile.”

But that smile sometimes hides a less glamorous reality. The world of an NFL cheerleader is one of immense pressure and strict, often controversial, rules. The incident faintly echoes the 2018 case of former Saintsation Bailey Davis, who was fired after posting a photo of herself in a lacy outfit on a private Instagram account.

She filed an EEOC complaint, alleging a stark double standard where cheerleaders were required to block players on social media and even leave restaurants if players entered, while the players themselves faced no such restrictions. “It’s not fair that we’ve worked our whole lives to do this professional job, as well as the players have, and we’re stifled by these rules,” Davis said at the time.

Lily Lowry’s brief, unexpected flight is more than a blooper reel moment; it’s a snapshot of precision momentarily disrupted, a reflection of her team’s current struggle. But her poise in sticking the landing—both physically and online—speaks to a culture of perseverance. As the Saints travel to the Pacific Northwest hoping to finally flip their script, they could learn a thing or two from the cheerleader who took a spill, laughed it off, and got right back up.