The New Orleans Saints lost at home on Sunday, falling to the Cincinnati Bengals, 20-10, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

The setback marked the second-consecutive defeat at home for the Saints, who had won 11-consecutive home games, dating back to the start of the 2013 season, before losing to the San Francisco 49ers, 27-24, in overtime, last week.

New Orleans got on the scoreboard first, taking the opening kickoff and driving 67 yards on 14 plays, setting up Shayne Graham for a 31-yard field goal, which he made good on, giving them a 3-0 lead at the 8:53 mark of the opening quarter.

Cincinnati came right back and scored on their first possession, when Jermaine Gresham caught a 12-yard pass from Andy Dalton, prior to recovering his own fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, capping off a 12-play, 77-yard drive, to give them a 7-3 lead at the 3:26 mark of the first quarter.

The Bengals extended that lead at the 2:52 mark of the second frame, when Mike Nugent connected on a 22-yard field goal, completing a 15-play, 94-yard drive, to make the score 10-3.

With only :57 remaining in the first half, Cincinnati had the football at their own 16-yard line. After a play which lost two yards, and with only :14 left in the half, running back Jeremy Hill broke free for a 62-yard run, setting up Nugent for a 42-yard as time expired, giving the Bengals a 13-3 lead as the two teams went into the locker room at halftime.

Cincinnati outgained New Orleans, in terms of first half total yards, 226-156, including a 134-38 advantage on the ground, while the Saints held a 118-92 edge through the air.

Hill paved the way fro the Bengals in the first half, gaining 97 yards on 12 carries, while Drew Brees paced the Saints, completing 15 of 20 passes for 118 yards.

The Bengals scored their first possession of the second half, when Dalton and Gresham hooked up on another touchdown pass, this one from 1-yard away, culminating an 8-play, 50-yard drive, to extend their lead to 20-3 at the 6:03 mark of the third quarter.

New Orleans trimmed that deficit to 20-10 on the first play of the fourth quarter, when Brees threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Stills, ending a 12-play, 80-yard drive, at the 14:56 mark of the final period.

The Bengals regained a 17-point on their next possession, when Dalton threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Green, capping off a 7-play, 80-yard drive, giving them a 27-10 lead with 11:29 to go.

Cincinnati outgained New Orleans, in terms of total offense, 405-330, including a 186-75 advantage on the ground, while the Saints finished the game with a 255-219 advantage through the air.

Hill led the way for the Bengals, accumulating 152 rushing yards on 27 carries, while Dalton completed 16-of-22 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns.

In a losing cause for the Saints, Brees completed 33-of-41 passes for 255 yards and one touchdown, while Mark Ingram rushed for 67 yards on 23 carries.

View the game box score.

With the victory, Cincinnati improved to 6-3-1 on the season, while New Orleans fell to 4-6.

The loss marked the first time that the Saints have lost back-to-back home games since the 2008 season.

The Saints return to action on Monday, November 24, when they wrap-up a three-game home stand by playing host to the Baltimore Ravens.

 

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