The Saints left Baltimore a couple weeks ago looking like a team that might be finding its footing. They had just knocked off the Ravens to get to 1-1, and the road ahead - Las Vegas, Atlanta and Minnesota - seemed like a stretch where New Orleans could keep building.
Instead, the slide has been brutal.
Sunday’s 23-13 loss to the Vikings was the latest stop on a rough stretch that has seen the Saints get outscored 81-37 over their last nine quarters. Whatever spark showed up against Baltimore and, briefly, against the Raiders has faded fast. A sack and fumble by Tyler Shough on a third-and-1 in the fourth quarter against Las Vegas marked a real turning point, and since then the Saints have looked nothing like the same team.
Now they sit at 1-4, the same record they carried through five games a year ago - only this time, there’s no rookie-head-coach excuse to lean on. This feels like underachievement, plain and simple, and it’s going to take urgency to dig out of it.
Sunday in the Superdome drove that point home in a hurry. A “SKOL” chant even broke out in the building at one point, an ugly sign for a place that used to be one of the NFL’s toughest environments.
For years, the Dome’s noise and the team’s play fed off each other. That edge is gone right now.
The Saints just finished an 0-3 homestand, and the lower bowl was half-filled with visiting fans who had enough presence to take over in the second half.
The football on the field matched the atmosphere. Minnesota knew exactly what it wanted to do defensively, and the Vikings blitz package kept the Saints on their heels all afternoon.
New Orleans was only officially sacked once, but Shough was under pressure so often it felt like much more. Kellen Moore said the Saints had a plan for the blitz, then admitted it plainly didn’t work.
The offense never found any kind of flow. New Orleans managed just one scoring drive, four three-and-outs, four punts, a turnover on downs and two interceptions.
The final numbers were ugly: 142 total yards and less than 20 minutes of possession. It was the least functional the offense has looked all season.
The Saints’ defense, at least, steadied itself after the Atlanta debacle on Monday night. It wasn’t perfect, but after spending almost 40 minutes on the field, that side of the ball held up better than the offense. Chase Young’s fumble recovery helped set up the Saints’ lone offensive scoring drive, and Jonas Sanker’s 87-yard touchdown on a fumble return kept the game from getting out of hand.
Even so, Minnesota kept finding answers. Kyler Murray had success on key third downs, and the Vikings ran for 153 yards.
Justin Jefferson’s return mattered, too. His touchdown catch was the biggest example - it should have been intercepted, but Quincy Riley got caught jumping too early and collided with Sanker instead of taking away the throw.
The kicking game also tilted things Minnesota’s way. Will Reichard kept providing the Vikings with points, going 3-for-3 on field goals.
Daniel Carlson, meanwhile, stayed inconsistent. Sanker’s fumble return briefly had the Saints tied, but Carlson’s missed extra point kept it from becoming more than that.
There were other signs this game was slipping away from New Orleans in small, damaging ways. Jayden Price’s fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half was a major swing, especially with the Saints starting the half with a lead and the ball. A few plays later, Jefferson was in the end zone.
Shough’s first interception was a poor throw, and he said afterward it was a poor pass. It didn’t change much in that moment, though, because the Saints were flagged for holding anyway.
He also wouldn’t say whether he was playing through a broken hand, but the way he handled the ball told its own story. He repeatedly used his right hand to hand off on run plays going left.
At halftime, Drew Brees was officially inducted into the ring of honor, a special moment on a day when the old glory felt very far away. With Brees now in the booth instead of under center, the gap between then and now was impossible to ignore.
The Saints won’t be back in the Dome until November 8 against the Browns. Given the way things look right now, that may not be the worst thing.
In Other News...
Tyler Shoughs Hand Issue Just Became A Real Saints Concern
Tyler Shoughs left hand has quietly become one of the more notable issues hanging over the Saints, and it has shown up in ways that are hard to ignore. He has been seen gripping the hand during games and practices, and the added glove on that side has only sharpened the sense that something is limiting him as he tries to settle into the job. Shough has acknowledged the injury, but he has stopped short of spelling out exactly how serious it is.
For New Orleans, the concern is less about the pain itself than the ripple effect it can have on the offense. The hand issue has affected how Shough handles exchanges and handoffs, which adds another layer of uncertainty for a team already trying to get a clean read on its quarterback situation. Until there is more clarity on the extent of the injury, the Saints are left watching each snap for signs of whether this is a brief inconvenience or something with a much bigger reach. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Had Only A Few Reasons For Hope In That Loss
The Saints spent most of their loss to the Vikings searching for anything to latch onto on a day when the offense never really found a rhythm. Even so, there were a few bright spots worth noting, starting with Jonas Sanker, who delivered the kind of defensive spark this team badly needed, while Carl Granderson kept affecting the pocket and punter Ryan Wright did his part by helping New Orleans manage field position.
Sankers impact stood out because the Saints did not have many ways to flip the game in their favor, and the defense was left carrying much of the load. Granderson also gave New Orleans a steady edge up front, and Wrights strong work gave the Saints a chance to stay within reach longer than the offense probably deserved, leaving the bigger question still hanging over a frustrating afternoon. [Read more 🡒]
Erik McCoy Just Put Saints Leadership On Blast
After the loss to the Minnesota Vikings, center and team captain Erik McCoy did not sound interested in soft-pedaling what has gone wrong for the Saints. He pointed to the same issues that have kept showing up in recent weeks: flat play, turnovers and penalties, with the latest home defeat only adding to the frustration around an offense that has too often dug itself into a hole.
McCoys comments also put a spotlight on the leadership question facing the building, especially with the offense sputtering and the team needing more edge after a string of disappointing results. When a captain starts calling out the overall energy and accountability level, it usually signals the problem is bigger than one bad afternoon, and the Saints now have to answer whether the response comes from the locker room, the sideline or both. [Read more 🡒]