Kellen Moore is already feeling the heat in New Orleans, and Monday night did nothing to cool it off.
The Saints got flattened on national television by the Falcons, and the game never really felt within reach after Atlanta opened with a three-play touchdown drive. New Orleans trailed by 17 at halftime, then by 21 when the final whistle sounded. It was another outing that left the Saints looking unprepared, and their run game never got off the ground, finishing with just 50 rushing yards across four quarters.
That kind of performance has a way of changing the mood fast. At 1-3, the Saints have now stacked up more frustration than anything else this season, and whatever optimism came with the offseason buzz around Moore and the roster has started to fade. The energy around the team - from the fan base to the media to maybe even inside the locker room - has clearly shifted.
One of the biggest flash points came with the playcalling. New Orleans passed on going for it from the Falcons’ eight-yard line and settled for a 27-yard field goal instead, a decision that only added to the questions around Moore’s approach. The lack of production on the ground made the issue even louder.
Moore didn’t dodge that reality after the game. “Obviously not coaching well enough, not executing it well enough.
They came right down the field and scored while we were three-and-out, and we didn't score until the second quarter.” Asked directly whether anything needs to change, he added, “We've tried a number of different things, and obviously we haven't solved this yet, but we got to find a way.”
For now, the signs from the locker room suggest the Saints are still aligned with their head coach. Moore said Tuesday that he saw a number of players at the facility on a scheduled day off. That says something about effort, but not much about results, and the Saints know the only place that matters is on the field.
The next chance comes against the Minnesota Vikings, and the Saints will need more from the run game, cleaner starts, and maybe a different approach on fourth down. If they keep giving opponents the same openings, Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores is sure to make life miserable.
For Moore, the margin for error is shrinking quickly. If these problems keep showing up, the pressure around him is only going to get louder.
In Other News...
Saints Suddenly Have One Offensive Concern Fans Can't Ignore
The Saints loss to the Falcons was already frustrating enough, but the attention quickly shifted to the injury report after practice, where Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara both were out. Olave was simply resting, while Kamara was dealing with back soreness, a reminder that even on a day when the offense moved the ball, the availability of its most reliable playmakers can change the conversation fast.
Kamara still found the end zone twice in the game despite limited carries, and Olave turned in another productive outing with eight catches for 116 yards. Still, for a New Orleans offense trying to find steadier footing, any issue involving either player carries obvious weight, especially with the Saints already looking for answers after the setback in Atlanta. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Suddenly Have A Superdome Problem Fans Wont Ignore
The Superdome has always been the Saints stage, the place where noise has traveled in their favor and where visiting teams were supposed to feel the pressure. Lately, though, the building has felt different. A stretch of disappointing home losses has taken some of the shine off one of the leagues most recognizable venues, and the frustration has started to show in the stands, where fans made their feelings known with boos during a recent home game.
For the Saints, the issue is bigger than one bad afternoon. Home field advantage is supposed to be a difference-maker in New Orleans, but recent results have made it harder to count on the Superdome as a weekly boost. The next few games now carry extra weight, not just for the standings but for the mood around the team, because getting back on track at home may be the clearest way to pull the fan base back in. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Are Putting Tyler Shough In A Dangerous Spot
The Saints rushing issues were impossible to ignore in their latest game, when the ground game produced just 50 yards and an average of 2.6 yards per carry. In a league where balance is supposed to keep an offense on schedule, that kind of output puts a lot of strain on everything else, especially a young quarterback trying to find a rhythm.
Tyler Shough felt that squeeze directly, facing pressure on nearly half of his dropbacks as the offense struggled to stay ahead of the chains. For New Orleans, the concern goes beyond production and into protection, because an ineffective run game leaves Shough exposed and raises the stakes on every snap until the Saints find a way to fix it. [Read more 🡒]