Saints’ Payton fuming over officiating in loss

NEW ORLEANS – Saints coach Sean Payton had a full night and morning to reflect on and review how much of an effect officiating really had on New Orleans’ narrow loss to Atlanta.

By Friday afternoon, it sounded like the coach had decided that his initial concerns were warranted, and that it’s a problem the league should address.

“The officiating was extremely poor,” Payton said in a conference call. “Inconsistent would be a great way to put it. I thought that had a lot to do with the way this game ended.”

The way the game ended was costly for the Saints.

New Orleans (9-4) missed an opportunity to strengthen its hold on first place in the NFC South, which now has three teams within a game of one another; Carolina (9-4) sits in second place and Atlanta (8-5) in third. The Saints also lost several players to injury during Thursday night’s 20-17 loss, but Payton seemed most concerned by the penalty flags that were thrown against his team — or weren’t thrown against the Falcons.

Payton said he “went through every one of ‘em — and the ones that weren’t called. Too many inconsistencies.”

The Saints were penalized 11 times for 87 yards, and the Falcons gained nine first downs by penalty.

The Saints lost their last chance to get the ball back when an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Payton — who had angrily rushed onto the field to communicate with an official — gave the Falcons a first down that enabled them to run out the clock.

Payton said Friday that he had not heard from the league office about any further sanctions. He said the process of reporting disputed calls to NFL headquarters is “a waste of energy.”

— Wire services