3 NOLA Saints players that are holding the offense back so far

With the NOLA Saints’ offense off to a bit of a slow start, these three players need to step it up.

While the New Orleans Saints are 2-1 on the year, the two victories have mostly come from dominant defensive performances. The NOLA defense allowed just three points in Week 1 against a fiery Packers squad and then surrendered 13 points to the Patriots this past week.

The ugly Week 2 loss to Carolina was a result of not having eight coaches due to COVID protocols and also missing several key players due to various injuries. The defense proved they’re carrying the team thus far and it’s time for these three players to step up and contribute more.

3. NOLA Saints offensive line

Okay so this one isn’t a player as much as it is a position group, but the point remains the same — The offensive line hasn’t been its usual dominant self.

Perhaps a big reason as to why this is the case is that Erik McCoy went down in Week 1 and losing a center of McCoy’s caliber is crucial. Cesar Ruiz moved over to the center spot in McCoy’s absence but he hasn’t played well, to say the least.

In Week 1, even after McCoy went down, the Saints’ o-line kept Jameis Winston upright throughout the entire game but that was not true in Weeks 2 and 3. Winston has been sacked seven times since that clean Week 1 outing and that can’t happen.

Terron Armstead’s injury makes things even worse for this unit but hopefully, James Hurst can fill in admirably for Armstead at left tackle and Calvin Throckmorton can continue to play decently at right guard. The future of this offense depends on it.