Game balls from the Saints heart-stopping road loss to the Dolphins

Week 13 had the New Orleans Saints lose at the Miami Dolphins by a score of 21-17. The Saints didn't bother to show up offensively in the first half, as they gained a laughable 63 total yards in the first half. New Orleans stayed competitive through the first two quarters thanks to their pass defense, but the Saints were woeful against the run throughout the entire contest.

In the second half, New Orleans finally showed some signs of life on offense despite a pathetic performance from the offensive line. The Saints had 231 yards of offense through the last two quarters, as rookie quarterback Tyler Shough led them to two touchdowns, a 2-point conversion, and a long field goal. An improbable recovery of an onside kick after a touchdown drive but failed 2-point conversion put the Saints in position to still pull out a victory. However, a failed quarterback sneak on 4th and short would send them into the losing column for a tenth time on the year.

Despite the loss to a bad Miami team, there were a couple of notable performers on the day. Here are our Saints game balls from Week 13.

Charlie Smyth

New Orleans gave Smyth his first NFL regular season appearance after releasing Blake Grupe last Tuesday. Smyth responded by nailing a 56-yard field goal in rainy conditions on a slick field. He later followed that up with a brilliant onside kick to put his team in position to win. After the Saints tried out veteran Justin Tucker and signed Cade York, Smyth held off both challenges for the job. The Irish Gaelic football player had an impressive performance in adverse conditions at a position that hasn't otherwise inspired any confidence.

Chase Young and Cameron Jordan

Jordan has two sacks of Tua Tagovailoa in the first half, passing Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas and tying him with Saints Hall of Fame legend Rickey Jackson with 127 career sacks. He led an onslaught on Tagovailoa that essentially robbed the Dolphins of any significant passing attack. Chase Young continues to play outstanding football. He had 1 sack, raising his season total to 5 takedowns in only seven games. Young was the most disruptive defender on the field on Sunday, harassing Tua on several other occasions and even adding in a few impressive run stops.

Devaughn Vele

Finally, Kellen Moore realized that Vele is an asset to his offense. Vele led all receivers with 8 catches for 93 yards and a marvelous touchdown grab late in the fourth quarter. He achieved a career-best in receiving yardage while equaling his career-high for receptions. Coming into Sunday, Vele had 9 receptions for 91 yards in 10 games. For good measure, the hustling Vele recovered Smyth's onside kick late in the fourth quarter.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints game balls: Charlie Smyth, Cameron Jordan stand out vs Dolphins