The New Orleans Saints fell just short to the New England Patriots, losing 19-25. A major reason was the Saints inability to stop the deep ball. The secondary must improve if they want to succeed in future weeks.
The Patriots had three plays over 25 yards. On its own this isn’t terrible, however, this isn’t including two more called back to penalties. Drake Maye had his way downfield, especially in the first half. The secondary couldn’t keep up with the Patriots receivers.
These were all meaningful plays for the Patriots. The three that stood were all touchdown catches. Of the two called back, one was a 61 yard touchdown and the other was on a crucial third down. It’s also worth mentioning that each of those calls were questionable. The Saints can’t bank on luck to save them. Their secondary needs to step up and defend the deep ball.
The Saints are young… but still need to improve
The Saints have a young secondary, so struggles are expected, but they need to be better. The only established veteran in the room is Jordan Reid. Other than that, it’s an extremely young group. Here are the ages of the main contributors:
Jonas Sanker- 22 years old (rookie)
Kool-Aid McKinstry- 23 years old (2nd year)
Quincy Riley- 24 years old (rookie)
Alontae Taylor- 26 years old (4th season)
This group has played fairly well to start the year despite their inexperience. Sanker has been fabulous and Riley is showing promise. Each of them however gave up major plays on Sunday.
The Patriots, receiver wise, aren’t to the caliber of other teams they will face. Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, and Stefon Diggs torched them. This isn’t a bad group but won’t intimidate anyone. It’s key the secondary gets their communication down in future weeks.
Although the Saints secondary getting bombarded by deep balls was frustrating against the Patriots, it’s to be expected with a young group. However, it will be concerning if this problem doesn’t begin to resolve in future weeks. This is necessary for the Saints to succeed in 2025.