3 takeaways from NOLA Saints blowout week 14 win vs NY Jets
The NOLA Saints finally got back in the win column following a blowout win over the three-win NY Jets. At this point, who cares who the Saints beat to get a win? The important thing is that they finally won a game and move to 6-7.
Let’s check out some takeaways from this 30-9 victory.
Alvin Kamara still dominant
We hadn’t seen Alvin Kamara in action since the week 9 loss to Atlanta but boy was it good to have him back? The offense really does go as Kamara goes and with how well he played on Sunday, it wasn’t surprising to see the offense put up 23 points.
Kamara finished the game with 27 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown while grabbing four passes for 25 yards. New Orleans needed a guy to come in and take over on offense and Kamara did just that. It was great to have him back out there.
Defense played really well
The Saints’ defense has been put in a tough spot pretty much all season long with the offense’s shortcomings. This week, the offense did their part and that made it easier for the defense to do theirs because there wasn’t as much pressure on them to play a perfect game.
NOLA’s defense made Zach Wilson look like a rookie quarterback — which he is — and also limited them to under 80 yards rushing. They sacked Wilson twice and the d-line played well even without Cameron Jordan in the lineup.
The Saints stopping the Jets on a fourth-down attempt in the fourth quarter essentially iced the game, even with 10 minutes remaining. That’s how good the defense looked or how bad the Jets offense looked. Or maybe a combination of both.
Kicker woes solved?
All season long it’s been a struggle for the Saints’ kicking game but have they finally solved the issue? It’s only one game but Brett Maher did his part for the special teams unit, connecting on all three field-goal attempts and all three extra-point attempts as well. That accounted for 12 of the Saints’ 30 points on the day, so yeah, Maher’s accomplishments are worth noting.
Maybe Maher doesn’t perform well for the rest of the season but for now, Saints fans can feel a little bit better about the state of the kicker position.
With this win, the NOLA Saints are 6-7 and still theoretically in playoff contention. The NFC is pretty much between the Cardinals, Packers, and Buccaneers as far as who goes to the Super Bowl but New Orleans can still sneak in and keep their playoff streak alive. Their schedule is pretty favorable so it’s totally possible.