The Jaguars were a third-and-14 stop from forcing New Orleans to punt on its opening possession Sunday.
Instead, New Orleans used the next two plays to ignite an offensive stampede – a 38-27 win and the seventh 500-yard game by an opponent in Jaguars history (537 yards).
The Jaguars were doomed by one play call (third down) and one miscommunication (fourth down) that summarized their dreadful performance.
Third down: The Jaguars defended the first-down marker instead of being more aggressive, no doubt thinking the Saints would not go for it on fourth down so early. Against a four-man rush, quarterback Drew Brees flipped a pass to running back Tim Hightower in the right flat for a nine-yard gain.