The game is over, and the season sure feels over -- even in an NFC South that no one seems to want to win.
The Saints fell 20-10 to a maligned Steelers squad starting a rookie quarterback. They were shut out in the second half, with Andy Dalton intercepted twice. One was a tipped ball. The other was a jump ball that was wrestled away from Kevin White.
At 3-7, the Saints aren't mathematically eliminated. Mentally? That's another story.
With all that in mind, here are my 3 quick takeaways from the Saints' loss to Steelers.
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TAYSOM PLAN ADJUSTMENT
The implementation of Taysom Hill into the Saints' offense has been confusing to watch at the best of times. The offense is better when he's involved, there's no question about it. But how to use him?
For one thing: His usage should never be what sends Andy Dalton onto the field to try to convert a third-and-long he wasn't responsible for creating. That happened twice in Week 9, and it happened early in the game against the Steelers. This was a 2nd-and-9 snap, with Hill targeting Alvin Kamara unsuccessfully. The Saints failed to convert and ended up punting.
That role changed as the half went on, with Hill's next two snaps coming on first down. One was a zone-read give to Kamara that generated a first down. The next was an unsuccessful QB power. The Steelers played those sets well.
QB power won't work every week, but you have to at least force the other team to stop it before you give up on it. His reps should also prioritize 1st down and third-and-short situations. I'm fine with second and short as well, but only for shot play chances. The goal for his usage should always be to make Dalton's life easier, not more difficult. The Saints were able to move the ball more successfully when they did that.
The other nice change: Get Alvin Kamara into the zone read. An unsuccessful version of that play against the Ravens included Dwayne Washington. The issue is ... the defense wants to try to defend Dwayne Washington, and that's what happened on a critical red zone carry. Either put AK in that combination or don't call it.
It seems every week we talk about Taysom's role and this one will be no different. He ended up with just 3 carries for 1 yard and 1 incompletion. Oof.
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MISSING TACKLES/SACKS IS MADDENING
When you're getting run all over the field by Lamar Jackson, you can live with it. He does that to just about everyone.
When it's Kenny Pickett, there's really no excuse. The rookie QB is a good athlete, don't get me wrong, but he's not the guy that should be constantly eluding free rushers. It happened left and right. It happened in the pocket and out. It was truly maddening, and he made the Saints' stats look even better than they were by stumbling for a Cam Jordan "sack" on the final play of the first half.
The Saints finished the game with six sacks. They should've had at least twice that number. Get home a few more times and it's a different game.
Last week I was critical of the team speed/athleticism on defense. That criticism feels even more valid this time around. Couple those missed opportunities with another handful of missed tackles and you have a recipe for a struggling defense. Oh, and it's tough to generate contact fumbles when you don't make contact. It was another game without TOs.
One bright spot was Kaden Elliss, who filled in well for Pete Werner. He had a critical sack, held up in coverage, forced a fumble and didn't have any obvious missed tackles/assignments. That's the best you can hope for in that situation.
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TWO-MINUTE OFFENSE KEEPS WORKING. THAT'S ALL.
Whether the offense is just more comfortable, whether Pete Carmichael hits his stride, whether the defense is on its heels, the 2-minute offense has been the Saints' most efficient and effective. It's really not a question.
The Saints' offense felt stuck in neutral for much of the first half, but when they needed it most, the 2-minute offense got it done. Six plays, 56 yards, touchdown. It was a drive that sent the Saints into the break tied at 10 apiece.
It also seems to be the only situation where the team pushes the ball to Juwan Johnson. Why? I don't know. But he had three catches on that drive, including the 15-yard touchdown.
I understand you can't go no-huddle and up-tempo all game, but it sure feels like something that needs to be incorporated in other situations.
That said, it's one of the only things that's been working. It's hard to know where to start. You began the game with two backup linemen and ended the game with three. You couldn't run the ball. You couldn't pass-protect. Whether you want to see Andy Dalton or Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill at quarterback, the fact is this isn't a good football team and it's not going to win many games the way it's constructed.
Still, if things are going to go down in flames ... don't you want to at least see Jameis slinging the ball around? Because this is brutal to watch.
Dalton finished the game 17 of 27 for 174, 1 TD and 2 INTs. The Saints had 29 yards rushing. It's all bad.
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LAGNIAPPE
The Saints had two turnovers and the penalty issues cropped up again. In this one the Saints were flagged 10 times for 74 yards, six of which granted the Steelers automatic first downs. ... David Onyemata logged a sack for the third consecutive game. It's the first time in his career he's done that. ... James Hurst left the game with a concussion in the third quarter and was replaced by Landon Young. That meant three backups (Calvin Throckmorton; Lewis Kidd) were in action in front of Andy Dalton. Yikes. ... With his 12th completion in the game, Andy Dalton passed Alex Smith for No. 22 in NFL history in that category (3,258 career completions). ... Kenny Pickett is the 45th player Cam Jordan has sacked in his career. ... Juwan Johnson's touchdown was his 4th on the season, tying his career high from 2021. ... Alvin Kamara has moved into No. 2 all-time in Saints history for all purpose yards (8,951), surpassing Deuce McAllister. ... Chris Olave took yet another big hit to the head area, this one in the second quarter that was flagged for unnecessary roughness. He didn't leave the field, indicating he was not assessed for concussion symptoms. ... After three really effective games to begin his starting career for the New Orleans Saints, Alontae Taylor struggled. He missed at least two tackles and was called for three penalties. ... The Steelers rushed for over 200 yards for the first time in six seasons. ... The Steelers tried their best to keep the Saints in the game with a pair of missed field goals by backup kicker Matthew Wright.