Tanking beckons if the Saints can't capitalize on Chargers' biggest flaw

The New Orleans Saints are 2-5 entering Week 8, and a loss on Sunday to the Los Angeles Chargers would leave the Saints very little hope for the rest of the season. They’d essentially have to win out for a chance at the playoffs, and that equates to nine straight wins for a team currently on a five-game losing streak.

New Orleans can avoid that fate with a win on Sunday. If the Saints are going to get back to winning, they have to get back to doing the things they did at the beginning of the year. One thing the team did at the beginning of the year was run the ball well. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case for New Orleans as of late.

Between offensive line injuries and better competition, the run game hasn’t been consistently productive. When New Orleans’ rushing attack is working, the offense isn’t working.

In Week 8, the Saints will have a golden opportunity to get their running game back on track against a struggling Chargers run defense.

Saints should be able to take advantage of Chargers atrocious run defense

Unfortunately, New Orleans knows all about bad run defense right now. On Sunday, there will be two bad rushing defenses on the field. Fans know the Saints are struggling, but on the season, the Chargers are allowing 4.6 yards per carry, ranking them 22nd in the NFL.

In recent weeks, Los Angeles has been gashed on the ground. Against the Arizona Cardinals, the Chargers allowed 6.2 yards per carry. Before that, they allowed 6.1 yards a run to the Denver Broncos.

With how Los Angeles is defending the run right now, this game will be a barometer of sorts for New Orleans. If the Saints still can’t get the run game going, against a team that is really abysmal against the rush, New Orleans might as well start it’s draft prep, becuase the team will be headed towards the top of the draft.

If the Saints can’t take advantage of team’s weaknesses, they certainly aren’t going to challenge where teams are strong. So Sunday’s performance on the ground will say a lot about how the second half of the season is going to look.

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