Kellen Moore’s biggest issue as a head coach has been the inability to fix recurring issues. Unfortunately for him, another one surfaced in the New Orleans Saints’ week five loss to the Minnesota Vikings: stopping mobile quarterbacks. This is a major issue for Brandon Staley’s defense and must be fixed to help turn around the season.
Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray had 10 carries for 51 yards on Sunday. This isn’t anything special; however, the yards he created by escaping the pocket and hitting an open receiver are. Even when the pass rush reached him, they broke contain and gave Murray a wide-open lane to escape.
His extending plays gave the Vikings’ receivers ample time to create separation, which wasn’t tough against the Saints’ struggling secondary. This was especially prevalent on third downs, where they couldn’t get a stop because of Murray’s improvisational ability. It single-handedly kept Minnesota’s offense alive.
The Saints’ defense will continue to struggle if this isn’t improved.
Bluntly, the Saints won’t win many games if their defense doesn’t improve, and their ability to contain the quarterback plays a key role in that. Their secondary isn’t talented enough to consistently cover for five-plus seconds. As a result, it’s pivotal that the pass rushers not only provide pressure, but also mitigate the quarterback’s legs.
Fortunately for them, this is fixable; primarily by maintaining gap integrity. This means that the defensive line must focus on keeping their position and not allowing the quarterback to escape either up the middle or through the edge. They can’t get overaggressive, thus losing their spot and freeing up an open lane.
Still, this isn’t a new issue for the Saints. They’ve been plagued by rushing quarterbacks, even by non-rushing quarterbacks (Mac Jones and Tyson Bagent each produced rushing against them) in recent years. They did well against Lamar Jackson in week two, only allowing 34 yards, but that’s an outlier at this point.
Something needs to change on defense; they’ve been burned by this far too many times. The Saints don’t face any ultra-dangerous rushing quarterbacks in 2026, but that doesn't matter. Their season will continue to derail if they don’t improve.
Although it’s not his defense, it’s another example of a recurring issue under Kellen Moore. His coaching staff hasn’t shown the ability to adapt when an issue occurs. This has been his biggest flaw and has headlined a tumultuous tenure in New Orleans.
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