The New Orleans Saints are at a point where the next few weeks will tell a lot about the team - and a lot about Kellen Moore.
After back-to-back home losses to the Raiders and Falcons, the Saints’ confidence has taken a hit, and their veteran leaders have made that frustration clear. Losing at home to an archrival as a favorite is one thing.
Getting outplayed, outcoached and outmuscled for four quarters is another. That’s what made Monday night so jarring, especially because the Saints looked timid on the field and their staff coached scared.
That performance has put Moore, now in his second year as a head coach, under real pressure to steady the room. The Saints’ 1-3 start has some fans asking for more fire from him, more emotion on the sideline, more of a visible edge when things start to go sideways.
But that’s not really who Moore is. His temperament is closer to Bill Walsh than Bill Parcells, and he’s not built to erupt like Jim Mora or make a statement by benching a starter or firing an assistant in the Sean Payton mold.
The point isn’t that Moore needs to become somebody else. He doesn’t. What he does need is a sharper answer to the same problems that keep showing up: slow starts, a running game that hasn’t gotten going, and a defense that keeps getting pushed around at the point of attack.
There has been progress in some areas. The Saints have improved in penalties, redzone offense and big play production.
But those gains haven’t erased the bigger issues, and the roster still lacks blue-chip talent at a few important spots. On top of that, three players Moore brought in to help on the field - Jordyn Tyson, Travis Etienne and Kaden Ellis - will be on the sideline Sunday against the Vikings because of injuries.
So if Moore can’t fix everything by personnel, what can he do? He can coach more aggressively.
That was part of the problem Monday night. His play calling and game management leaned too conservative, and two decisions stood out: punting from the Atlanta 42 before halftime and settling for a field goal from the Falcons’ 8 in the third quarter.
Moore may have been trying to slow the game down and stop the bleeding, but both moments called for a bolder answer. They sent the wrong message.
This is where the challenge for Moore gets more interesting. He doesn’t have to abandon analytics, but he does need to know when instinct should win out. Sean Payton once put it this way: “You can’t let analytics trump instincts.”
Mike Tomlin’s version is even cleaner: “I don’t live in my fears, but I don’t live in a binder, either. You feel the pulse of your men.”
That balance is the job for Moore now. And in a city that has always embraced risk - a place built by rogues and ragamuffins, where craps and poker came to America, where the first land-based casino outside Las Vegas and Atlantic City was built and where the third oldest horse racing track in America still operates - a little more boldness would fit just fine.
Moore already showed that streak in the opener against Detroit, when he passed on the tie and went for the win on a two-point conversion.
The Saints need more of that approach. It’s only Week 5, and there’s still plenty of season left.
Moore doesn’t need to lose his cool. He just needs to be willing to take more chances, starting Sunday against the Vikings.
In Other News...
Saints Veterans Know Minnesota Is Testing Something This Team Lacks
The Saints have plenty to fix after a 1-3 start, even with the offense doing enough to keep them in games. The bigger concern has been whether the team is matching its own standard from snap to snap, and that frustration has started to show in the way veterans are talking about the week ahead. With Minnesota next, New Orleans is staring at an undefeated opponent that will test discipline, urgency and the kind of defensive consistency the Saints have been searching for.
Chase Young did not hide how he feels about the teams current level of play, making it clear the Saints cannot be comfortable with simply showing up and expecting results to follow. The response in practice is supposed to be more demanding, with the early part of the week designed to get the defense into game mode faster and sharpen execution from the start. Whether that translates against a Vikings team that has yet to lose will say a lot about where this group really stands. [Read more 🡒]
Chase Young Has A Huge Chance To Wreck Minnesotas Game Plan
Chase Young has already spent the first month of the season testing himself against some quality blockers, and the Saints have reason to feel encouraged by what they have seen. He has shown he can hold up against talented right tackles, which matters as New Orleans prepares for a matchup that should put him in position to make an impact again.
Minnesotas line is already in a vulnerable spot heading into Week 4, and that gives Young a path to tilt the game in the Saints favor. If he can keep the pressure coming off the edge, New Orleans may be able to force the Vikings into protecting a backup tackle on an island more often than they would like. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Jordan Knows The Vikings Stat That Saints Fans Should Ignore
Minnesotas offense may look ordinary on paper, sitting near the bottom of the league in total yards, but Cam Jordan isnt taking much comfort in that number as the Saints prepare for the matchup. The veteran edge defender knows better than to let a ranking do the talking, especially when injury absences have helped shape how that offense has looked and the Vikings still have playmakers capable of changing the script.
For New Orleans, the bigger concern is how its own defense has held up lately, especially against tight ends. The Saints have had trouble in that area, and Minnesota brings a matchup that could test them again, with T.J. Hockenson looming as one of the most difficult assignments on the field. Jordans point is simple enough: the stat line is not the story, and Sunday is likely to demand more than a quick glance at the numbers. [Read more 🡒]