The Saints’ third straight loss came with the kind of messy, grinding feel that tends to expose everybody. New Orleans fell to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and the performance left plenty to pick apart in the weekly stock report. Still, even in an ugly game, a couple of players managed to stand out for the right reasons.
Ryan Wright was one of the few bright spots. When the offense sputters, a punter can end up doing some of the cleanest work on the field, and Wright delivered exactly that.
He averaged 57.3 yards on four punts, highlighted by a 64-yard blast. Those kicks mattered, too, because they helped force Minnesota into longer drives and gave a struggling defense a little more room to breathe.
The Saints finally seem to have their answer at punter, and his four-year, $14 million deal from this offseason already looks like a bargain.
CJ Donaldson also earned his mention, even if the box score won’t jump off the page. He finished with four carries for 13 yards, but his real value showed up in pass protection.
Donaldson helped Tyler Shough get sacked just once, repeatedly sorting out unblocked linebackers and defensive backs in pass blocking. He also flashed some short-yardage power back potential, which could put him in line for a bigger role as the season goes on.
The other side of the ledger starts with Kellen Moore. The problem isn’t just losing; it’s losing the same way over and over.
The Saints have been plagued by slow starts, and they still haven’t been able to finish a game since week two. Those recurring issues have put Moore squarely in the hot seat, and he needs to turn things around fast if he wants to keep his job.
Alvin Kamara landed among the losers as well, and that’s a tough sentence to write. The veteran ran three times for 12 yards and caught two passes for negative six yards on Sunday.
His value in the locker room remains clear, but the days of him being a dynamic offensive threat appear to be behind him. Once Travis Etienne returns, Kamara is expected to slide into more of a secondary role in the offense.
Daniel Carlson rounded out the Saints’ losers after a costly miss. New Orleans spent the offseason sorting through kicking options, and after Charlie Smyth and Tanner Brown came up short, Carlson ended up with the job.
He had been serviceable, but he missed a crucial extra point that would have given the Saints a lead in the second half. Carlson was never viewed as the long-term answer, and this performance only reinforced that.
It also raised the possibility that the Saints could be back in the kicker market next offseason, or even sooner.
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 🡒]