With a chance to lead a go-ahead drive late in the fourth quarter, New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler felt pressure to his left, rolled to his right and saw his top receiver come free downfield.

On the run, Rattler fired a strike that hit Chris Olave in the hands near the midfield line. But it did not stay in his hands. The ball dropped to the turf incomplete, a drop in a critical moment.

Had the play been made, the Saints would have had a new set of downs pushing into New England territory with about four minutes left to play, trailing 25-19.

But the Saints experienced the other end of the what-if scenario. Rattler’s ensuing third-down pass sailed incomplete, New Orleans punted the ball away and never got it back .

There were plenty of dirty hands in the Saints’ 25-19

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