Clear issues came into focus in Paris, and the New Orleans Saints had no answers for either side of the ball in a loss to the Steelers.
The Saints were trying to get their third win of the year and leave Paris with momentum, but instead the defeat only added to the frustration around this team. The bigger problem was not simply that they lost - it was how they lost.
A competitive showing could have changed the feel around the season. Sunday never got close to that.
New Orleans was beaten up at the line of scrimmage in a way that was hard to ignore. The rushing game was a disaster, with the Saints finishing with 18 rushing yards on 17 carries.
That was far worse than just a bad afternoon. After the encouraging signs against the New York Giants, the ground game swung sharply in the opposite direction.
The Steelers also controlled the game with their own run attack, and the Saints had no answer for Jaylen Warren. New Orleans repeatedly failed to stop him, even on third and fourth down, where Pittsburgh kept running the ball and kept moving the chains. That kind of collapse let the Steelers dictate the entire game.
The offensive problems didn’t stop there. The Saints also wasted chances in the red zone, and those missed opportunities proved costly.
Last season, red zone issues hurt New Orleans in losses, and it was supposed to be a priority to fix them this year. To Kellen Moore’s credit, the Saints had been one of the NFL’s better red zone teams, but that edge vanished against the Steelers.
The same old problem returned at the worst time: New Orleans got close enough to score touchdowns and couldn’t finish the job. And when the offense failed to cash in, the kicking game could not pick up the slack. That left the Saints stuck in the same kind of bad spot that haunted them last year.
There’s also the broader issue at quarterback. In the first two games, the Saints leaned on Shough to carry the offense, and it worked out for those first two weeks (kind of).
Since then, things have gone downhill. Shough is playing with a broken hand and being asked to handle too much, and that puts both his development and his health in a tough place.
He looks like the clear starting QB, but the Saints are asking him to do everything, and that pressure is becoming a problem.
In Other News...
Kellen Moore Knows The Saints Have A Rushing Problem To Fix Fast
The Saints left Pittsburgh with a running game that looked nothing like a reliable foundation, and head coach Kellen Moore did not try to paper over it afterward. He pointed to inconsistency, a lack of movement and the impact of injuries to Travis Etienne and Alvin Kamara as reasons the ground game has fallen short, stressing that the fix has to come from a full-season evaluation rather than a quick patch.
New Orleans has been searching for answers in that phase for a while, but the latest outing made the issue impossible to ignore. Against the Steelers, the Saints had just 17 runs for 18 yards, a number that underscores how little resistance the offense is currently offering defenses on early downs and how urgent the turnaround has become. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]