Kellen Moore didn’t sugarcoat it after Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers: the Saints’ ground game is broken, and the numbers backed him up.
New Orleans managed just over a yard per carry in a 16-10 defeat, a night when the passing game did enough to keep the offense afloat but not enough to save it. Starting quarterback Tyler Shough completed just under 79% of his passes for 278 passing yards, yet the Saints still couldn’t squeeze out enough offense to turn the game.
That left the running back situation squarely in the spotlight, and Moore made clear the issue is bigger than one bad afternoon. He pointed to the inconsistency that has followed the unit all season and said the staff has to go back and sort through everything during the bye week.
"Yeah, obviously, we have a bye week, we have to put a lot of work into it. Because, again, there's just too much ebbs and flows.
There's weeks where it's good and there's weeks where it's not. And we just weren't able to get any movement.
And creating increases in the opportunities in the run game . 17 for 18. Tyler's got a couple scrambles in there, and so it wasn't good enough.
We had to throw the ball a number of times, and we gotta get it done.
I think we just have to, we really have to dig in to it from step one. Evaluate the whole season as a whole and find solutions.
So the main focus is gonna be the running game, right? I think certainly that's an important aspect of this thing.
When you have a day like today, 17 runs for 18 yards, it's gonna be hard to win football games doing that. And so while there's some other things, I think we're real positive for our football team.
We weren't able to get that done."
There is a straightforward explanation on the surface: the Saints have been without their two best running backs because of injury. The club paid up to land Travis Etienne after his 1,000-yard season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he got hurt, and Alvin Kamara also went down.
Even with those absences, the Saints can’t hide behind injuries forever. The production hasn’t been there, and finding answers is now the job in front of Moore and the staff.
What that looks like next is the question the Saints have to answer over the coming weeks.
In Other News...
Saints May Have A Painful Devaughn Vele Decision Ahead
With the Nov. 10 trade deadline approaching, the Saints may be facing a tough call on Devaughn Vele. In a season that has not gone the way New Orleans hoped, the receiver has become a name to watch because of the value he can bring as a big-bodied target and the kind of market that can develop around players with his skill set.
ESPNs Ben Solak even floated a potential deal with Kansas City, and the idea underscores how real the conversation could get if the Saints decide to listen. Teams such as the 49ers could also make sense as possible suitors, which leaves New Orleans weighing whether to keep Vele in the fold or turn him into draft capital before the deadline arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Head Into The Bye With NFC South Pressure Suddenly Rising
The NFC South shifted fast in Week 7, and the Saints are heading into their bye with the standings suddenly tightening around them. Tampa Bay handled Carolina 43-13 behind Baker Mayfields return and a big day from Bucky Irving, while Atlanta knocked off unbeaten San Francisco behind steady play from Michael Penix and a defense that forced key turnovers. For New Orleans, the backdrop was much less encouraging, with a loss to Pittsburgh adding to a stretch that has left the roster trying to find traction.
Now the Saints have a week to reset before the pressure ramps up again. The division picture is still very much in play, but their place in it is far less comfortable after the latest results, and the margin for error is shrinking. Kellen Moore may have some breathing room for the moment, but another stumble when the games resume would only make the questions around the season louder. [Read more 🡒]
Gayle Benson Just Turned Up The Heat On Saints Leadership
Gayle Benson did not sound like an owner content to let the Saints drift through another rough opening. With New Orleans off to a 1-4 start for the second straight season, she made clear her frustration with the direction of the team and put accountability at the center of the conversation, a sign that the pressure is not just on the sideline but across the organization.
What comes next is the part everyone around the team will be watching. Benson stopped short of laying out a timetable or naming specific changes, but her comments leave little doubt that she expects the situation to improve and that she is willing to make decisions to push it there. In a season already feeling uncomfortably familiar, that kind of public tone from the top can change the temperature fast. [Read more 🡒]