When Kellen Moore was hired as the New Orleans Saints head coach back in February, many people wondered what his offense would look like when he was the big boss. A quarter of the way through the season, those people might finally have their answer: the run game.
One of the first things that Moore did when he was introduced as the Saints' 19th head coach was bring up the importance of a varying run game. "I think as we’ve gone through this journey in the NFL," Moore said. “You’ve got to have a diverse run game. You’ve got to be able to do a lot of different things. You’ve got to be able to challenge the defense with multiple looks."
Four weeks through the season, the Saints' rushing offense under Moore is among the best in the league, currently ranked 10th on ESPN. Running back Alvin Kamara was a fan of his since day one. "Obviously, with (Saquon Barkley) being the last (running back Moore worked with) and doing it, it’s exciting," Kamara said back in July. "I try not to look too far ahead. It’s day one of camp, so we’ve got to grind, and there’s a lot to learn. It’s a whole new team.”
Saints head coach Kellen Moore is giving his running backs a new lease on life
Months later, Kamara's words "it's a whole new team" have become a reality. It's the first time since 2020 that the run offense has made an appearance in the top 10 of the National Football League. Kamara leads the way with 256 rushing yards and is on pace for his first 1,000-yard season.
Kendre Miller, who Moore gave a clean slate to, is also having a career year with 124 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries. He's just 33 yards away from surpassing his career high in yards. At this pace, he'll double his career totals in multiple categories. Even quarterback Spencer Rattler has contributed to the run game, accumulating 102 yards on the season.
Coincidentally, 2020 is also the last time that the black and gold made a playoff appearance. It seems that with just four games under his belt, Moore has made the idea of making the playoffs far more likely than it seemed under the previous staff.
In the fifth week of the season, the Saints will face the New York Giants, who currently have one of the league's worst rushing defenses. And because of the Saints' ability to run the ball, scoring points shouldn't be too hard to come by that afternoon. In fact, the team is actually favored to win, a first for the 2025 season.