NFL Division Rivalry Game Ends With Embarrassing Home Crowd

New Orleans' Caesars Superdome is well known as one of the most electric home-game environments in the NFL.

But following the Saints' disappointing 2-4 start to the 2024 NFL season, that atmosphere is beginning to fall short of expectations.

On Sunday, the Saints welcomed the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a highly-anticipated NFC South rivalry matchup. This divisional matchup typically delivers exciting contests, but the Bucs absolutely dominated this particular meeting.

Tampa Bay finished the game with a 51-27 victory, throwing cold water on whatever excitement Saints fans had before kickoff.

New Orleans fans filed out of the stadium as hopes for victory slipped away in the second half. When the final whistle blew, the seats at Caesars Superdome were nearly empty.

The Saints were blanked by the Tampa Bay defense in the first quarter, but bounced back with 27 points in the second. Dennis Allen's squad went into the halftime break leading 27-24.

The second half was ugly all around for the Saints. The offense, led by rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler, was unable to notch a single point. The defense allowed 27 unanswered in the second half, including 20 in the fourth quarter alone.

The Saints have now lost four games in a row. They'll look to stop the bleeding in a Thursday Night Football matchup against former New Orleans head coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos in Week 7.

Related: Calls Intensify for NFL Coach's Firing After Disappointing Rivalry Loss