When you’re having a season as bad as the New Orleans Saints’, it can be difficult to pinpoint a single moment as a low point.

The Saints didn’t make this decision any easier for themselves in the last home game of the year.

Yes, the Saints suffered a 25-10 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. It turns out the Raiders were slight betting favorites for good reason — even though they’re 4-12 and could fire coach Antonio Pierce after just one full season at the helm. That’s how bad the Saints have been this season.

The loss dropped the Saints to 5-11 – their worst record since 2005.

Was this really the nadir for the Saints in 2024? Probably not. A prime-time loss to former coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos two months earlier could qualify. This also applies to the team’s loss to the Carolina Panthers on November 3rd, which led to the firing of Dennis Allen.

Sunday’s loss may not even be the Saints’ worst in a week. Just six days earlier, they were defeated by the Green Bay Packers 34-0. This is the only shutout in the NFL this season.

But there was something depressing about watching the Raiders, a team that was fighting for the No. 1 seed over the weekend, take the Caesars Superdome with relative ease.

“It’s no secret that our team is in a dark time right now,” Saints linebacker Demario Davis said, adding the team is looking for “light” and direction.

There were plenty of empty seats at Sunday’s game. The crowd’s silence was in stark contrast to earlier this year, when the Saints beat the Panthers in their home opener and looked like they could be offensive giants.

But in Week 17, Ameer Abdullah was the only juggernaut. The 10-year NFL running back rushed for a career-high 115 yards against the Saints, surpassing the 100-yard mark for the first time in his 141 games.

Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell also prevailed. The 2023 fourth-rounder threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns on 20 of 35 passes.

A loss like this only reinforces the need for major changes for the Saints. It certainly would have helped if quarterback Derek Carr, out for the third straight week with a broken hand, could have played against his former team. And it would have been great if Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave or any of the other injured playmakers had been available. But the Saints’ problems go beyond their injuries.

The Saints will soon conduct a coaching search. They have just one game left this season – next week’s road finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – and then their overhaul can begin.

What will that entail? Interim coach Darren Rizzi has not strengthened his case for getting the full-time job after successive lopsided defeats. Any overhaul of the front office also needs to be considered. The Saints have decisions to make about whether to bring back key pieces like Carr and defensive end Cam Jordan.

“The future rulers will evaluate the whole thing and then we will move on,” Rizzi said when asked about his future. “I can’t worry too much about that.”

There was little on the field against the Raiders that changed the Saints’ long-term outlook. Quarterback Spencer Rattler earned his fifth start of the season and was once again inconsistent.

As disappointing as this season was for the Saints, it was important for the team to see continued progress from their rookie quarterback. Even though the supporting cast had shrunk, Rattler called his performance after last week’s loss to the Packers “embarrassing” and his coaches stressed the need to take care of the football.

In the first half against the Raiders, Rattler was excellent in this regard. Not only did he not lose the ball, but he also made the sharpest decisions of a professional.

At halftime, despite the Saints trailing 13-10, Rattler was completing 11 of 13 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown.

From the team’s first snap, Rattler elected to keep the ball on a zoned keeper and broke free for 28 yards. And as a passer, Rattler provided good results all over the field. His two first-half incompletions were the result of a drop by Juwan Johnson and a throwaway to save time for a field goal at the end of the half.

But Rattler failed in the second half. He was hit twice and his accuracy declined. Rattler completed just 9 of 22 passes for 72 yards in the final two quarters and the Saints failed to score any points.

New Orleans’ problems weren’t just with the quarterback, however. The defense couldn’t solve the same problems that had plagued them all year, and the Raiders thrived.

When the Saints return to the Superdome next season, the roster will look different. Fans will likely be shopping again – at least to get a taste of what kind of season is in store. Changes are coming.

But to what extremes will the Saints go to implement these changes? How deep does the team have to go?

Losses like the one against the Raiders provide more information if the answer wasn’t already clear.

“We have to find our way,” Jordan said. “So whatever it takes. Hopefully I’m part of the picture.”