NEW ORLEANS

The New Orleans Saints fell to the Las Vegas Raiders 35-27 on Sunday, the second time this season a fumble ruling on a quarterback's lost ball has drawn scrutiny.

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough was hit in the arm by Raiders linebacker Malcolm Koonce while attempting a pass. The ball was knocked free and recovered by defensive end Maxx Crosby. Officials ruled it a fumble, a call that stood after review.

Shough said he believed his arm was moving forward. "Me personally, I thought my arm was going forward," he said. "I'm not exactly sure on the rule. It doesn't really matter to me. I've got to get it out sooner regardless."

The play mirrored a Week 1 moment when Saints edge rusher Chase Young sacked Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Goff's fumble was recovered and run back for a touchdown, but the call was overturned and deemed an incomplete pass based on a rule regarding intentional hand movement initiating a forward pass.

Young was on the field Sunday and reacted to the Shough play by shaking his head and mimicking an incomplete pass, as shown on the Caesars Superdome videoboard. Later, Young said he thought Shough's "intent" was to throw the ball forward.

Mark Butterworth, the NFL's vice president of instant replay, addressed the Shough play in a pool report. Butterworth said the defender's right hand contacted both the ball and Shough's hand, and that Shough "clearly lost control of the ball before his hand was coming forward."

When asked about the two plays, Butterworth explained: "All we are looking for is the hand coming forward with control to make it an incomplete pass. In the play that happened today, the hand was not coming forward with control of the ball."

Butterworth previously clarified the Detroit play, stating that if a defender contacts the passer after the throwing motion has begun, it is considered a forward pass. Goff had already started his motion when contact occurred, making it an incomplete pass.

The fumble proved critical. The Saints coughed up the ball four consecutive times in the fourth quarter after holding a 27-16 lead midway through the third quarter. Koonce's strip of Shough, with Crosby's recovery, set up the Raiders' go-ahead touchdown drive.

Las Vegas scored 19 unanswered points to complete the comeback. The Saints dropped to 1-2. The Raiders improved to 3-0.