The New Orleans Saints are heading into their bye week at 2-5, and the timing could hardly be more important. Seven games into the season, there’s enough on tape to show what this team is - and what it isn’t.
The flashes are there. The consistency isn’t.
That’s why this break has to be about more than catching their breath. For head coach Kellen Moore, it needs to be a week of hard answers.
The biggest question sits on the offensive side, where the Saints keep swinging from promising to lifeless. In the 34-27 win over the New York Giants, the unit showed what it can be when things are working. Then came Paris, where New Orleans managed only 10 points and 18 rushing yards in a 16-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That kind of drop-off tells the whole story.
Moore has made his name on offense, so the scrutiny belongs there first. Is this a personnel issue?
Is it the play calling? Is the offensive line failing in execution?
Are they putting quarterback Tyler Shough in the right spots? Are they getting the ball to their playmakers enough?
Nothing should be off limits.
Through seven games, the Saints are averaging 23.1 points per game while allowing 27.7. Those numbers go a long way toward explaining why this team keeps getting stuck in neutral instead of building anything lasting.
And the self-scouting can’t stop with the players. Moore has to evaluate Kellen Moore.
That’s part of the job at this level. Sometimes the problem isn’t effort or talent.
Sometimes it’s preparation, sequencing, in-game management, or the inability to adjust once the original plan falls apart. The Saints have been all over the map week to week: a one-point overtime loss to Detroit, a win over Baltimore, three straight defeats, a bounce-back against the Giants, then another loss to Pittsburgh.
That doesn’t look like a team that’s been overmatched every week. It looks like a team that still hasn’t figured out who it is.
The bye should also be a chance to sort out the roster without the week-to-week pressure of immediate game prep. Who deserves more snaps?
Who hasn’t done enough? Which younger players should be taking on bigger roles on offense and defense?
Those are uncomfortable questions, but a 2-5 team can’t pretend everything is fine. This isn’t about change just to make change. It’s about finding the combinations that give this roster the best shot to win.
Special teams has to be part of that review, too. Moore has already said the kicking operation will be included in the bye-week evaluation after Daniel Carlson’s struggles, which include four missed field goals from 50-plus yards and two missed extra points this season.
There is still a path forward. The Saints come out of the bye to host Cleveland on Nov. 8, then turn around for another home game against Carolina. That gives New Orleans a chance to reset the season if it returns sharper, cleaner and more physical.
This should be the biggest coaching week of Moore’s season, even without a game on the schedule. The film needs to be turned over, the scheme questioned, the rotations questioned, the play calling questioned, and yes, some of Moore’s own decisions questioned as well.
The Saints don’t need a total overhaul. They need to figure out what they do well and build around that.
There have been enough flashes to believe better football is in there somewhere. There have also been too many stretches where the offense stalls and mistakes wipe out opportunities. At 2-5, patience gets expensive fast.
When New Orleans comes back to the Superdome against Cleveland, it needs to look like a team that learned something during the break.
It could start with who gets to lead the next one.
In Other News...
Steelers Fans Had One Big Problem With Jason Kelce In Paris
Jason Kelces first run through the NFLs international broadcast circuit has not been especially smooth, and the rough edges were on display again during the Steelers game in Paris. The retired guard has already drawn scrutiny from viewers for his work in the booth, and this one only added to the chatter as fans picked apart the small mistakes that can stand out in a big showcase setting.
One of the more noticeable misses came when Kelce referred to Steelers running back Jaylen Warren by the wrong name, a slip that quickly made the rounds among viewers. Kurt Warner made a similar mistake, but Kelce took most of the heat, another reminder that even in a game being played overseas, the microscope on the broadcast can be just as sharp as the one on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Loss In Paris Put One Offensive Problem Front And Center
The Saints trip to Paris ended with another loss, but the film offered a familiar split screen: a defense that kept fighting and an offense still struggling to find enough consistency to cash in on it. New Orleans got strong work from Tyler Shough and Barion Brown, and Chase Youngs second-half push helped keep the game within reach, yet the larger story was how hard the offense had to work just to stay afloat against the pressure around it.
Shoughs performance stood out because of the circumstances he was dealing with, and Brown gave the Saints a needed spark both in the passing game and on special teams. Still, the result put one offensive issue back in the spotlight, because even with those bright spots, New Orleans never fully solved the problem that has been dragging its attack down and leaving little margin for a defense that did enough to win. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Suddenly Face A Tyler Shough Problem They Couldnt Afford
Tyler Shoughs arrival in Saints camp already carried extra weight because of how much pressure has been building on the passing game, and that burden only grew as the run game continued to sputter. The offense has needed more from the quarterback room to keep things moving, and Shough has been right in the middle of that conversation while dealing with injury concerns that have followed him.
The latest setback came after a sack during training camp, when his right hand was examined and the offense reportedly felt the impact. Shough has already shown a willingness to play through hand issues, and with a bye week now ahead, the Saints have at least a brief window to let him recover before the next stretch of camp and preseason work. [Read more 🡒]