Saints' Cameron Jordan on last-second loss to Buccaneers: 'This (expletive) hurts'

The New Orleans Saints had a golden opportunity to get back into the playoff picture on Monday night, leading the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16-3 with just over six minutes to go.

But veteran running back Mark Ingram inexplicably stepped out of bounds a yard short of a crucial first down and quarterback Andy Dalton misfired on third-and-1, giving Bucs quarterback Tom Brady a chance to lead his team to an improbable 17-16 come-from-behind win.

Instead of New Orleans moving a half-game behind division-leading Tampa Bay in the NFC South, the Saints find themselves in last place with a 4-9 record.

"This (expletive) hurts," Saints defensive lineman Cameron Jordan told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "We should’ve beat this team this time. We should’ve beat Carolina. We should’ve beat a lot of other teams. We didn’t. Right now, these are the facts of what we’re facing. Beyond an uphill battle."

NFL PLAYOFF PICTURE: Postseason field ... if the season ended today

NFL NEWSLETTER: Sign up now to get football news delivered to your inbox

According to NextGen Stats, New Orleans had a 99.3% probability of winning the game when Ingram ran out of bounds at the Bucs 44-yard-line with 5:34 left. After Dalton's incompletion, Saints coach Dennis Allen decided to punt the ball to Tampa Bay and force Brady to score twice.

Which he did, capping it with a TD pass to rookie Rachaad White with three seconds left.

As a result, the Bucs lead the NFL's worst division with a 6-6 record, while the 5-8 Atlanta Falcons and 4-8 Carolina Panthers give chase. The Saints, at 4-9, have lost four of their last five games.

"We gave ourselves every opportunity, we just didn't get it done," Allen said. "It sucks, it stings, it hurts."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Saints' Cameron Jordan bluntly addresses last-second loss to Bucs