New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton irate about officiating in loss to Atlanta Falcons

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton is still fuming over what he called "extremely poor" officiating in Thursday night's loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

The NFL is reviewing Payton's behavior toward the officiating crew after he drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in the fourth quarter, according to ESPN. He has not talked to anyone yet in the league office following the Saints' 20-17 loss.

Payton's frustrations during the game carried over to Friday when he expanded on his issues with the officials during a teleconference.

"I thought the officiating was extremely poor," Payton said. "Inconsistent would be a great way to put it, and I thought that had a lot to do with the way this game ended.

"It's frustrating when you have a game, instead of it being decided on the field like it's supposed to, you have a crew make so many mistakes in one event."

The Saints were penalized 87 yards on 11 accepted penalties. Of Atlanta's 26 first downs, nine came by penalty. The Falcons had four penalties for 35 yards.

Payton was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in the fourth quarter for screaming at an official, which gave the Falcons a first down and essentially ended the game.

Referee Clete Blakeman's crew penalized Payton for running onto the field toward field judge Joe Larrew with 1:05 remaining in the game.

Payton said he was trying to call a timeout when Larrew asked him again.

"I said, 'I've already called the timeout.' I probably said it with a little more oomph or vigor than I was supposed to, but I had enough. I gotta be smarter than that," Payton said.

An NFL review is standard practice whenever a penalty is called for unsportsmanlike conduct toward officials, and the league could issue fines and suspensions.

"I think it's been a problem all year, and it's something that's going to have to be addressed from a leadership standpoint at the top in our league office," Payton said Friday.

Payton was asked how the Saints could address the issue with the league.

"Nothing we do. We just call in, and it's wasted energy," Payton said. "And it's something that's come up with other teams earlier in the year, even some of the replay. It's just a confidence level that has to be improved."