To say Sunday was rough for the Saints would be putting it mildly. In his first season steering the ship, Kellen Moore watched not only a loss to the Chargers but also a growing list of wounded soldiers. The first-year head coach didn’t hide from the issue, yet he offered only a few breadcrumbs on what’s next.

“On the medical side, Will Clapp, Trevor Penning obviously came out of the game. We’ll see how those guys go. Bub (Means) came out, and then Mason Pline was there. We’ll see how those guys go, we’ll get a report there,” Moore told reporters on Sunday evening. That brief rundown was enough to confirm the concern before another big development dropped.

Shortly after, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz dropped the bombshell that Saints fans dreaded. “The #Saints fear C Will Clapp suffered a serious foot injury that is believed to be season-ending and requires surgery.” Schultz doubled down on the grim forecast, saying, “He’s awaiting final confirmation from testing results. A tough blow for a player who was set to be a key depth option on the interior.” Clapp’s injury came on just the second offensive play, a gut punch that immediately tested New Orleans’ depth.

To make matters worse, Clapp had been filling in for starter Erik McCoy, giving Moore at least some comfort in the middle. Once he went down, undrafted rookie Torriccelli Simpkins stepped in at center. Of course, Penning also made an early exit, heading to the locker room in the second quarter. For a team already nursing concerns up front, losing two offensive linemen in one preseason game is far from ideal.

Even if Penning proves healthy, the Saints’ O-line picture is shaky. That would put LT Banks, LG Penning, C McCoy, RG Ruiz, and RT Fuaga as the starting five. Backups? Radunz at guard, Simpkins and Lemieux as C/G options. The only true backup tackle, Landon Young, is already sidelined due to a knee injury. In other words, there’s no real tackle depth—something that could haunt them if another injury strikes.

Adding another wrinkle, Rams coach Sean McVay revealed on Sunday he’d been in talks with the Saints about holding joint practices this week. When Kellen Moore was asked, he made it clear that “team health” would heavily influence their decision. With the current injury cloud hanging over the Big Easy, that choice just got a whole lot trickier. However, injuries aren’t the only headache Moore got.

Kellen Moore is stuck in a QB dilemma

To start his Saints journey, Kellen Moore got a cold welcome in the Crescent City with a 27-13 loss to the Bolts. But the score was just part of the problem. The bigger storyline? The revolving door is in the center. Moore rolled out Spencer Rattler, Tyler Shough, and Jake Haener in his first game as Saints HC, hoping someone would grab the reins. Instead, turnovers, missed throws, and squandered drives piled up. It was enough to make even the loyal Who Dat Nation shift uneasily in their seats.

Naturally, Moore didn’t dodge the elephant in the room. “Yeah, I think for all three, there’s gonna be some good moments,” he admitted after the game. “There’s gonna be some moments we wanna have back.” Rattler flashed some mobility, Shough shook off a pick with a 54-yard TD strike, and Haener’s short stint ended in—you guessed it—an interception. As Moore put it bluntly, “So a big lesson for us is just we gotta protect the football.”

And the Chargers’ defense drove that point home. Rookie Eric Rogers turned Shough’s early interception into six points. Meanwhile, the O-line let Saints QBs hit the turf five times. “We don’t wanna create turnovers,” Moore stressed, before adding, “But the way these guys respond is really, really critical to us.”

Still, the Bolts didn’t even need Justin Herbert to spoil Moore’s debut. Trey Lance scrambled for a score, DJ Uiagalelei launched a 49-yard dagger, and the Saints racked up seven penalties to go with their shaky protection. For Moore, this was less of a first step and more of a wake-up call.