Sunday’s loss was a microcosm of a 2-9 season that has gone off the rails. The Saints didn’t just lose to a division rival, they lost because they couldn’t execute the basics and nothing is more basic in the modern NFL than a kicker hitting from inside 50 yards indoors.

The Grupe Error

Blake Grupe’s performance against Atlanta was the final nail in a coffin that has been being built since September. Missing from 38 and 47 yards in a game where points were at a premium is inexcusable. In a dome. At home. Against a bitter rival.

Grupe has now missed eight field goals this season, the most in the NFL. For weeks, fans have watched potential wins dissolve into “almost” because the kicking game, once a staple of consistency in New Orleans during the Wil Lutz era has become a liability.

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