At the end of the New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday Night Football game to kick off Week 7 of the NFL season, Saints tight end Foster Moreau had a chance on third down to haul in a game-tying touchdown but failed to do so and was seen visibly upset on the sideline after, with his head down and hands over his face.
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#Saints TE Foster Moreau has been through so much. Hurt to see him like this. pic.twitter.com/4pQNJDnapE
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 20, 2023
"Yeah, you know, it's tough," Moreau said. "In front of every man, woman and child I've ever known. It's a dark place to be. It's the National Football League. It doesn't come down to one play, but it comes down to one play. The team fought. The team fought as hard as we did, and it's just unacceptable. It's just pathetic."
Saints TE Foster Moreau: “I don’t know if anyone within 200 miles of this place wants to hear my voice right now, but these guys are fighters… this is the right team.” pic.twitter.com/ynSs6DTmXp
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) October 20, 2023
Following the play, the Saints failed to convert on fourth down in a one-on-one matchup with wide receiver Chris Olave and opposing Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell.
Moreau said that he cut his route short.
"Short week, that's a lack of focus, lack of concentration. It's unacceptable," he said.
On the sidelines, while Moreau was upset, several teammates came over to console him.
Moreau, 26, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma this offseason and now is a spokesperson for the NFL's "Crucial Catch" campaign, which encourages screening yourself for cancer.
One of the teammates to help Moreau in this dark moment was running back Alvin Kamara.
"There's going to be bigger plays," Kamara said. "There's going to be more plays out there. I just told him, man, he's blessed for what he's been through. That ain't nothing. ... I ain't worried about Fos not making that play. Honestly, I don't think we should be in that position right there where we're looking at that like, 'Oh man, he should've caught it.' Of course he should've caught it. He knows he should've caught it. Anybody in that position right there should've caught it. We're pros.
"But Fos, man, if there's anybody out there that cares, that's uplifting his teammates, that's doing everything he can to try to get a win and uplift everybody else and get them in the right mind frame to win, it's him. Man, I'm not worried about that. It is what it is."
Alvin Kamara on his message to Foster Moreau after the game pic.twitter.com/VoWQ6C7eBy
— NOF (@nofnetwork) October 20, 2023
Quarterback Derek Carr also defended his tight end.
"Our job as brothers and as family, as teammates, is to go really around him," Carr said. "I've been in that moment where you miss a throw and you throw a bad pick and something like that and you feel like everybody hates you. Our job as teammates ... is to put your arm around them and keep them pushing. To see our teammates react that way shows we have a good group. Because I've seen in moments like that where everybody just starts pointing fingers. ... I've never been a believer, just because it happens in that moment. There's so many things we could've done that wouldn't even put him in that situation."
Moreau finished the game with three catches on four targets for 33 yards. The Saints lost 34-27 and now look to Week 8 on the road against the Indianapolis Colts. They have nine days to prepare.
