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The Saints are moving in the wrong direction, and it’s not just because of injuries

The New Orleans Saints are unraveling week by week, and they are giving fans a lot of reasons to be concerned.

By Jaleel Grandberry

Aug 25, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen looks at the video boards against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Aug 25, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen looks at the video boards against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
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After losing 26-13 to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5, the New Orleans Saints are now 2-3. The Saints started the season 2-0, so they are on a three-game losing streak. Typically, teams want to get better as the year goes on. Unfortunately, New Orleans has been doing the opposite.

It’s easy to look at the last three games and put a lot of blame on the injuries the Saints are facing, and that’d be completely fair. The offensive line has been decimated, and key players on both sides of the ball like Taysom Hill and the starting trio of linebackers have missed games. Additionally, even the players that are on the field are banged up.

However, New Orleans’ problems extend beyond the injury report. The Saints team on the field in Week 5 was much different than the team on the field in Week 1, and not just because some players were missing. New Orleans is simply operating at a lower level.

The Saints are moving backwards as the season progresses

In Monday’s game against Kansas City, New Orleans made several mind-boggling decisions fom the start of the game to the end. Before the ball was even kicked off, the Saints won the coin toss and elected to receive. That’s never a good decision, as the team who gets the ball first in the second half is usually at an advantage. New Orleans gave away that advantage.

Six plays into the game, after moving the ball 31 yards down the field, Derek Carr allowed a perceived pressure to make him throw the ball up into the air for an easy interception. Carr said he was trying to throw the ball away, but admitted it was a boneheaded, stupid pass.

Those two poor decisions set the tone for the game, as New Orleans went on to continue looking like a completely different team. Offensively, the Saints couldn’t run the ball, and didn’t even utilize play action, though it has proven to be a useful tool for them. Defensively, New Orleans allowed the Chiefs to do whatever they wanted, giving up 331 passing yards and 139 rushing yards.

If fans are looking for a reason to be optimistic, the schedule does get easier going forward, but that won’t matter if the Saints can’t get healthy and start playing better football.

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