The Saints’ loss to the Eagles proved how desperately New Orleans needs Erik McCoy

It’s never easy replacing a Pro Bowl player, and the New Orleans Saints experienced just how hard it is on Sunday in their 15-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Starting center Erik McCoy left the game with a groin injury during New Orleans’ first series, and it’s no coincidence the offense wasn’t able to do much throughout the game.

With McCoy out, Lucas Patrick moved from left guard to center, and Oli Udoh came in at left guard. That was the moment the offensive plan went out the window. Both Udoh and Patrick, along with Cesar Ruiz, who was in his natural spot at right guard, were absolutely dominated by Jalen Carter and the rest of Philly’s interior defensive line.

Carter is a good player, and so are the other guys on the Eagles defensive line, so they were expected to win some reps. However, the Saints’ line looked absolutely out of sorts without McCoy, and his abscence certainly helped Philadelphia dominate.

Saints offensive line struggled without Erik McCoy

The issues were bigger than just losing a one-on-one battle; New Orleans struggled with their assignments as well. Shortly after McCoy left the game, the Saints faced a critical third down. On the play, Derek Carr had an open target, but pressure prevented the veteran quarterback from delivering the throw.

The reason there was pressure is because Udoh and Ruiz pulled into each other and were blocking each other instead of Eagles players.

Those are the kinds of things that happen when backup players are in, or when players are shifted to different positions. That’s also what happens when a veteran center isn’t present to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Without McCoy, New Orleans couldn’t run the ball, and if this offense can’t run the ball, it can’t do anything. We saw that on Sunday. It’s unclear how severe Erik McCoy’s injury is, or how much time he’ll miss, if any, but it’s extremely clear how valuable he is to the Saints.

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