As the Saints tried to move into scoring position late in the first half on Monday night, approximately 15 seconds ran off the clock before they realized it was still running.
Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi expressed his frustration over the mishap.
The clock had initially stopped after Saints receiver Kevin Austin fumbled the ball out of bounds but restarted once the ball was brought back and spotted for the next play.
After the game, Rizzi explained that an official had assured him the clock would remain stopped, a misunderstanding that prevented him from calling a timeout in time.
“Both covering officials ruled the clock stopped,” Rizzi explained. “I asked the covering official if the clock was going to remain stopped, and I got a yes. I turned back to talk to the offensive coaches about our plan for the end of the half.
Then, they decided the ball was fumbled forward, and it just wasn’t communicated to me that the clock had restarted. So we lost some precious, valuable time there. That’s what happened.”
This clock management error occurred during one of the Saints’ rare opportunities to score in the game. Unfortunately, the lapse contributed to their inability to capitalize on the chance. The Saints ultimately suffered a 34-0 defeat.
“If you come away with no points, you have zero chance of winning the game,” Rizzi said.
