National Football League

After demoralizing loss, Saints stranded in Seattle

Published Dec. 3, 2013 9:57 a.m. ET

foxsports

UPDATE: According to the Saints' Twitter account, the team was prepared to finally take off and head back to New Orleans at 12:03 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

The New Orleans Saints probably couldn't wait to leave Seattle after being embarrassed by the Seahawks Monday night. Unfortunately, the team’s ride home had other ideas.

According to NFL.com, the team plane broke down during the Saints' 34-7 loss, and to make matters worse, team officials were reportedly having trouble finding a hotel to accommodate the team’s traveling party. (Teams typically bring well over 100 people on the road.)

Most of the Saints players avoided the news on social media, but safety Rafael Bush probably spoke for everyone when he sent this tweet late Monday night:

Eventually, the team found a place to stay, according to ESPN, but as of Tuesday morning, it was still not known when the team would be able to fly back to New Orleans.

This, of course, isn't the first time an NFL team has had their plans readjusted by unexpected travel troubles. In 2011, a Cleveland Browns flight to Indianapolis was delayed several hours after their plane got stuck in the mud, and just last year, the Miami Dolphins’ flight home from a preseason game in Dallas was delayed after their charter backed into another plane as it tried to leave the gate.

Just last month, the Browns endured a terrifying flight from Cincinnati to Cleveland that left players saying they felt “lucky to be alive,” but at least they made it home. The same can’t be said for the Saints, who have had more time than they cared to have to dwell on their loss in Seattle.

One has to assume the team will be able to take off on Tuesday, but even so, they’ll still lose a significant portion of the day to the west-to-east time change. That won’t make things any easier for the Saints, who were already facing a short week, as they prepare for Sunday’s matchup against the surging Carolina Panthers.