Klint Kubiak was on the fast track to becoming a New Orleans Saints legend after he had the team’s offense playing at a historic level in the first two weeks of the season. Unfortunately for Kubiak, things have shifted fast, as New Orleans now has one of the least productive offenses in the league in recent weeks.
On Sunday, the Saints lost their sixth straight game, and they only scored eight points against the Los Angeles Chargers. Two of those points came from a safety on a special teams play. The other six were from two 40+ yard field goals.
New Orleans was still without Derek Carr and Erik McCoy, but the offense’s problems were bigger than missing players. There were a few clear issues that fall on Kubiak’s shoulders.
The one thing the offense did well against Los Angeles was run the football. The Saints ran 21 times for 117 yards— 5.6 yards a carry. The problem, though, is that the team only ran 21 times while averaging 5.6 yards a carrry.
When an offense is struggling like the Saints were, they have to find things that work and stick with them. The run game was working, but for whatever reason, Kubiak would go away from it at times.
When he did decide to go away from the rushing attack, it was often for some uninspiring passing plays. The passing concepts New Orleans called during Sunday’s game had people questioning if the Saints condensed the playbook for rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler. A lot of the calls were very safe, and it didn’t seem like the offense was trying to be aggressive.
#Saints keep saying that the playbook is wide open for rookie QB Spencer Rattler, but it's hard to see that.
— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) October 27, 2024
Whenever a unit approaches a game with a kind of don’t-lose-it mindset, they’re usually already doomed. On Sunday, the Saints were doomed offensively from the start. They refused to stick with their strength, which was running the ball, and was also far too conservative in the passing game.
Kubiak could be getting Derek Carr back for New Orleans’ next game, and that could make all the difference in how the young offensive coordinator calls the game. Hopefully, Kubiak can lead the Saints to a more productive outing.