Everything went the Saints' way in Week 6, until it didn't in a 30-26 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
New Orleans led from the first quarter until late in the 4th, but a long Ja'Marr Chase touchdown and a failed comeback drive dropped the Saints to a gloomy 2-4 ahead of a quick turnaround and Thursday Night Football date with the Arizona Cardinals.
The positives were there, but it'll be hard to stomach with just how close the Saints came to a win in this one.
With all that in mind, here are my three quick takeaways from another frustrating day at the dome..
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THIS IS A RUNNING TEAM NOW
Going into Week 6, the Bengals hadn't allowed more than 155 yards rushing in any game. The Saints rolled up 164 yards on the ground in the first half, and they did it on just 17 carries.
A big chunk of that came on Rashid Shaheed's big run for a touchdown, but each of Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill ripped off long gains. It resulted in the Bengals having to commit extra defenders to take away the run, and that opened up things in the passing game.
It also meant the Saints could control the clock, keep their defense rested and play the game on their terms. That's a recipe for winning football, even if it things fells apart at the end of this one.
The Saints finished with 228 yards rushing. It's rare to see a team do that and lose a game, but this is the 2022 Saints, apparently anything is possible.
This was a game the Saints went into without, arguably, their top four WRs (Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry and Deonte Harty). It was a game they really needed to have. For the second consecutive week they nearly got the job done in the most bruising way possible. If there was any silver lining from the offensive injuries and struggles from the first two months of the season, the run focus is it.
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ANDY DALTON DID HIS JOB
The Saints' current QB1 isn't going to blow anyone away in the box score, but he did exactly what the team needed him to do. No more, no less. It wasn't enough in this one.
In a game without a majority of his WR weapons, he didn't force a single thing. In fact, he inly completed five passes in the first half. The first was an 18-yard touchdown to Tre'Quan Smith. The next was an 8-yard completion to Adam Trautman on first down.
The next three:
- 3rd and 4 conversion to Juwan Johnson
- 3rd and 8 conversion to Marquez Callaway
- 3rd and 10 conversion to Tre'Quan Smith
It's no question that this offense is less dynamic in the passing game without its top pass-catchers. But it honestly might be more unpredictable that way. There are no stars to key on, and Dalton spread the ball out to his weapons. He also ceded a handful of those passing attempts to Taysom Hill.
Dalton finished 17-32 for 167 yards and a touchdown. Seven Saints caught passes. In the end Dalton couldn't drive the Saints downfield and took a sack at a painful moment to set up 4th and 17 that fell to the turf with Marquez Callaway and Eli Apple getting tangled up downfield.
The issue came at the end of drives. The Saints controlled the ball for much of the second half, but they didn't punch the ball into the end zone. In fact, the only drive into the red zone that ended in 7 was after a fumble recovered on special teams. The Saints got 12 points on drives that could’ve resulted in 28. That’s what allowed the Bengals to hang around.
Dalton is a backup quarterback at this point of his career for a reason. He just doesn't have the firepower in his arm to challenge defenses, and the red zone is where you need it most. Go look at that first Burrow-to-Chase TD for an example. That's a throw that, at least at this point, I don't see Dalton being able to make. It's limiting when it comes to putting away games.
At the end of the day, I think Dalton did what he was supposed to do. The problem is he is and was always supposed to be the backup on this team. He can do that effectively, the same thing you could've said about Trevor Siemian last year. He was never brought in to be the starter and he's honestly exceeded my expectations while serving as the starter. But if you came away from this game thinking he's the best option to start the rest of the way, I'm not sure what to tell you.
Jameis Winston was active for this one and served as the backup. I imagine he's close to returning, and we might see him as early as Thursday night in Arizona. This offense can and should be more dynamic with him at the helm, assuming he's finally back healthy.
But even with Jameis back in the fold, I hope the run-focus and equal opportunity passing game remains.
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THE DEPTH WAS TESTED
And for the most part it held up.
The Saints went into this game without star cornerback Marshon Lattimore, and that meant some clear adjustments. There was no shadow assignment, instead Bradley Roby and Paulson Adebo split the field, with Roby taking the right side and Adebo the left.
Because of that, the Bengals were able to pick and choose which DB they wanted to attack with Ja'Marr Chase. Both DBs were challenged in that matchup, and both held up a good chunk of the time. The only real breakdowns came on the touchdowns. Chase managed to beat Adebo's jam in the third quarter and Joe Burrow dropped a perfect ball into the back of the end zone. The next came against Roby on the 60-yarder that sealed the game for the Bengals.
It's a backup league, and the backups did what they could. Chase finished the game with 132 yards on 7 catches, nearly half of which came on one play. Tee Higgins finished with 6 catches for 47 yards. Burrow finished the game 28-for-37 for 300 yards and 3 TDs.
But the biggest gaffs came in tackling the Bengals QB. In the first half the Saints appeared to have Burrow dead to rights on third down deep in Saints territory, but the contain on the rush broke down and no one had the QB in their sights on the back end. He trotted in for an easy score.
On a pivotal drive in the 4th quarter, it happened again. Burrow eluded the rush, and eluded the rush, and eluded the rush. Eventually he found Tyler Boyd for a first down. When your offense is limited in the way the Saints were in this one, your pass rush really needed to stand up. In the end it was a missed tackles by Roby and Tyrann Mathieu that allowed Chase to stroll in for a go-ahead TD with 1:57 left.
LAGNIAPPE
Finally the Saints did it. Zero turnovers. They won the turnover battle, it nearly allowed them to win a game they had no business winning. There were a few penalties, but nothing egregious. We've been asking for a clean game and we got one when they needed it most. In the end it was 4 for 34 on the penalty line. ... The Bengals on the other hand can not claim that. Returner Trent Taylor fumbled in the first quarter which set up the Saints' opening touchdown. They got called for roughing on a 3rd and 25 snap to extend the opening drive of the second half. ... In defense of the pass rush, Demario Davis got through on blitzes in big moments. He ended the first drive of the day with a timely rush. Then he got through for a sack on first down deep in the Saints' territory as they tried to protect a 26-21 lead. The next play, the rush got through again to force a third-and-27. ... Rashid Shaheed went into this game as the most intriguing player to see, and he lived up to the hype, though it didn't happen on kick returns. He took a handoff 44 yards to the house on a nifty reverse. The game-breaking athleticism is clear to see. He'll be a welcome addition with Deonte Harty on IR, and it feels like it's just a matter of time until he breaks a return TD. ... Keith Kirkwood was another player signed to the active roster this week, and he made an impressive catch over the middle to extend a drive in the third quarter. ... Adam Trautman suffered a scary-looking injury in the second quarter when he went down without contact, but he appears to have avoided major injury. He got his ankle re-taped and returned to the game in the third quarter, but he ultimately left with an ankle injury. ... Mark Ingram had a bounce-back game with 46 yards on 9 carries. ... Ja'Marr Chase could've gone down deep in Saints territory and effectively ended the game, instead he chose to score allowing for a Saints drive with 1:57 left and three TOs.