The Saints are at a crossroads, and the numbers aren’t pretty. A team that came out of the Week 2 win in Baltimore and the refereeing controversy in Detroit with real momentum now heads into the bye at 2-5, a turn that would have sounded unthinkable not long ago.
That’s why this week, with head coach Kellen Moore calling it a chance for evaluation, feels so important. New Orleans has some problems that don’t need much decoding at this point.
The run game has gone nowhere. The defense has struggled to stop opposing ground attacks.
If Aaron Rodgers is outrunning your backs, that tells you plenty. And when Tyler Shough ends up as your leading rusher in France with 7 yards, the point lands even harder.
Still, the Saints haven’t disappeared offensively. The passing game has shown life, with Shough continuing to spread the ball around to a talented group of receivers.
That group should look even more dangerous once Jordyn Tyson makes his NFL debut. On the other side of the ball, New Orleans has generally done enough to keep teams out of the end zone, with the obvious exception of the fourth quarter in New York.
There’s also the frustrating part of all this: the Saints had chances to be sitting in a very different place. The Raiders game and the Lions game were both there to be won, and either one would have left New Orleans tied for first in the NFC South by the win column.
Instead, the conversation has become much harsher. Are the Saints sliding toward the bottom of the league, or can they still make a real run at hosting a playoff game?
The case for optimism is thin, but it isn’t empty. A skeptic could look at this coaching staff and decide a high draft pick and major organizational change are the best path forward.
But even with that in mind, there’s little evidence that Carolina, Tampa Bay, or Atlanta is untouchable. Atlanta, for all that win over a depleted 49ers team coming off a short week, hasn’t exactly separated itself.
And then there was Pittsburgh. If Daniel Carlson had made both field goal tries or Shough had avoided a crucial third-quarter interception that flipped the momentum, the Saints likely would have won a game in which the run game was basically absent.
That can be read two ways. The darker version says New Orleans keeps missing chances.
The brighter one says the Saints are close enough to win, if they can finally start finishing.
So yes, the flaws are obvious. The record is ugly. But if you’re leaning toward the short-term view, the one fueled by the hope of seeing this franchise back in the playoffs for the first time post-Brees, there’s still a path to the NFC South crown.
In Other News...
Tyrann Mathieus Frustration Just Raised A Bigger Saints Roster Question
After the loss to Pittsburgh, the Saints found themselves dealing with more than just another frustrating result. Tyrann Mathieu made his irritation plain, pointing to the offensive lines inability to help in the run game and tying it to the bigger roster sacrifices he has made in recent seasons to give New Orleans more flexibility.
The running attack never got going, with the Saints finishing with just 18 rushing yards on 17 carries and the line creating no room before contact. For a team trying to make every roster decision count, that kind of production only sharpens the questions around how much support the offense can realistically expect up front. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Hit A Trade Deadline Crossroads With Bigger Stakes Than One Move
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Now the focus shifts to whether the front office tries to create more flexibility by moving veteran pieces, even as the coaching staff and general manager Mickey Loomis are feeling the heat if the season does not stabilize. Davon Godchaux has emerged as the likeliest name to watch, with Justin Reid and Cesar Ruiz also mentioned as possible options, which tells you the Saints are not just deciding on one deal but on what kind of message they want to send about the rest of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Season Already Feels Like An NFL Cautionary Tale
The Saints season is drifting into that uneasy territory where every week seems to carry a fresh reminder of how little margin they have left. After a rough stretch that included a loss to Pittsburgh, the conversation around New Orleans has shifted from early hope to damage control, with the schedule now giving the team a needed breather as the league moves into another slate of matchups.
This weeks bye at least offers a pause, but it also leaves plenty to sort through when the Saints return. The bigger picture around the NFC still demands attention, and with a full set of Week 8 predictions and a few more games on the calendar for later in the week, there is no shortage of context for where New Orleans stands and how quickly the season can turn from cautionary to outright bleak. [Read more 🡒]