“So it really never should never be a surprise that you’re getting attacked with the things that you do well and the things you put on tape that more often than not. And so, when those things happen, you obviously have to have change-ups, and our defense has to have enough variety and variation where, hey, if people want to go to these beaters for this coverage, then you have something to play off of.
“It’s always that chess game with the opposing offensive coordinator or play caller, but, yeah, that’s what we try to do.”
The test, or chess match, won’t get any easier this weekend when Carolina faces Tampa Bay for the first of two meetings in three weeks. After a string of injuries that dragged through much of the season, Baker Mayfield has his full contingent of offensive weapons back on the field, from Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to rookies Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson.
As Evero and staff prepare, they look back on that Saints performance, particularly the last two drives, to make sure the same mistakes don’t happen twice.
“I would say that there’s certainly some areas that we could have been more connected in the second half,” admitted Evero.
“Some of those things I can certainly do a better job at in terms of coaching, and in some of these areas that we know we could execute better as players, but it’s one of those things you could be off just a little bit here or there, and it can make a big difference, especially in those critical moments.”