The New Orleans Saints were projected to be the worst team in the NFL in the first year of the Kellen Moore, or the second worst team depending on the source. Through the first two weeks, Spencer Rattler was outperforming expectations, and the Saints seemed poised to laugh at those projections.
Then Week 3 happened. The Saints were blown out by the Seattle Seahawks in a fashion that reflected exactly what the Saints were put in the basement of the league heading into the season.
The first two weeks featured optimistically close games. The blowout holds more weight to many, even though it’s one game to two, but it all counts as one game. The mission now is to not let that game be what defines you.
An immediate bounce back seems improbable for the Saints with the Bills up next
You’d love to see the Saints respond to Week 3's less than flattering performance with a stronger showing against the Bills on Sunday.
Winning would be ultimate form of bouncing back, but that feels like a longshot. It might not even be a close game. The Bills are the best team on the Saints' schedule, so a big loss could easily be on the horizon. That wouldn't be unexpected or a great representation of where the Saints stand as a team.
Against the Seahawks, the Saints looked like they short circuited minutes before kickoff. The Bills are the much better team, but if the Saints can eliminate the pre snap penalties, that would be a noticeable step forward.
You can blame the hostile environment. It was the first time the team had to travel on the road. The issues with discipline didn't just show up, but going on the road can amplify them. Seeing them reign those mistakes in may be the greatest form of growth they can show, seeing it's plagued them all season.
Seeing Allen have to make tighter window throws or have to use his legs to evade pass rush occasionally would ways to bounce back. Offensively, Spencer could show more efficiency down the field and accuracy on each level . The offensive line could show a little more push in the running game. Seeing improvements in some of these areas may still see the Saints lose by three scores, but it would still be an encouraging response to last week's demoralizing response.