NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Take One: Saints sink to 2-9
The Saints came into Sunday a well-rested team coming off a bye week and their most impressive win of the season.
The Falcons arrived a banged up group who’d lost five straight games who lost their starting quarterback for the season.
You’d never know it based on the way both teams played.
In a game where the Saints once again never led at any point, it was the Falcons who looked poised and ready and left the Superdome with a 24-10 win.
The Saints blew opportunity after opportunity to sink to 2-9 guaranteeing them their third losing season in four years.
Take Two: Goal line woes
A quick look at the stat sheet showed the Saints held a +23 edge in total offensive plays run.
Usually that’s a formula for success, but on Sunday it was not. It all boiled down to the offense’s inability to score near the goalline. The Saints opened the second half with back-to-back 15-play drives that lasted just under 16 minutes total. Yet, they were only able to score three points on those two opportunities.
During that two-drive sequence the Saints ran nine plays inside the Falcons 8-yard line but could never punch it into the end zone.
Their first drive ended with a fourth down attempt at the one-yard line, Kellen Moore decided to go with Taysom Hill’s arm. It had no chance.
Their next drive, they went back to Taysom at the one, but Luke Fortner snap sailed about three yards over his head. Taysom wisely threw the ball the away and was flagged for intentional grounding.
Given how difficult it was to get the ball in the end zone, that penalty may have been a blessing in disguise as it forced Moore to take the points and at least make it a one-score game.
Overall, this was an incredibly frustrating to watch given how well the two drives moved.
Take Three: Contrasting Kickers
The Saints only scored three offensive points on Sunday despite four different scoring opportunities.
They left six points on the table thanks to two missed Blake Grupe field goals.
His first miss was from 38 yards out and came three plays after Mason Tipton returned a kickoff 75 yards to put the Saints in great field position.
The second miss came from 47 yards and came the Saints final offensive drive of the half where they found some rhythm for the first time all game.
While he was missing, Atlanta’s kicker went 3/3 to help keep the Falcons ahead all game.
At this point, Grupe has missed eight field goals on the season. And given the challenges the team has faced on offense this season, those misses have been crucial in their inability to score enough points.
At some point, Kellen Moore will lose credibility with his team if he does not hold Grupe accountable just like he would any other player.
Take Four: Shough’s third start
Tyler Shough was not bad Sunday, but when an offense scores three points in a game, the quarterback has to take at least some responsibility for that.
On Sunday, it looked like Shough was a bit out of ryhytm to start the game coming off the bye week, which was a real concern for a rookie making his third start and coming off his best game. He wasn’t quite as decisive to start the game against Atlanta like he was in Carolina.
He fumbled the ball on his second snap after a botched play action attempt with Alvin Kamara. Shough didn’t really look truly comfortable until the final drive of the second quarter. He did some good things in both of those long drives to start the second half and finished with respectable numbers.
Overall, Shough battled but like the rest of the offense, he was kind of choppy all game.
Take Five: Other Observations
The Falcons defensive front got the best of the Saints offensive front all game. Great play by Kool-Aid McKinistry to tip the pass that set up Justin Reid’s pick six. Reid showed great field vision on his return to score the ball. Given the way the offense was playing in the red zone, there would have been no guarantee they would have gotten seven there had he not scored. Alvin Kamara’s absence clearly had an impact on Saints ability to run the ball. Taysom Hill around the goalline may not be as automatic as it used to be. Devin Neal made a few nice plays with extended playing time. The Saints are back on the road to face Miami next week. It’s a winnable game, but the Dolphins are surely thinking the same thing about the Saints.
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