The Saints got to show off on a real national stage (sorry TNF) for the first time this season. They didn't earn themselves any new fans.
Lamar Jackson ran New Orleans ragged, the protection was Swiss cheese and Andy Dalton needs some ice. In the end it was an ugly, 27-13 loss on Monday Night Football.
With all that in mind, here are my three quick takeaways from yet another loss that leaves you wondering if the season is even worth saving.
1. PETE GOT TOO CUTE
Look, I get it, everyone knows what you're going to do with Taysom Hill, but can you at least make them stop it before trying a counter play?
There was the 3rd and 1 play on the opening possession where Alvin Kamara was stopped for a short loss. You ran into a box that was stacked just as heavily as when Taysom Hill is lined up for the snap. If you're going to try to plow ahead no matter the look, why not do that with Taysom?
In the second quarter the Saints tried to get even cuter with Taysom Hill handing off to Dwayne Washington on the reverse. Sure, I get the idea, but ... why? No one has been able to stop QB power no matter how obvious it was so far this year. The play you ran makes sense once you've hit them over the head with QB power. Once they overreact, sure ... go ahead with your Dwayne Washington counter.
Taysom came in for a 2nd down snap in the red zone on a gotta-have-it drive in the third quarter and gave to Dwayne Washington on the zone read. Andy Dalton was sacked on the next play. Not calling a play that gets the ball into the hands of Kamara, or even one that stays in Taysom's hands, is just bad. If you're going to have a drive torpedoed, it shouldn't be because you gave the ball to Dwayne Washington.
Taysom Hill only had 1 carry for 6 yards. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.
It just felt like the Saints went into this game having overthought their game plan early on. Maybe the extra day was 24 hours too much. I don't know. But Things opened up in the second half. The ball was out of Andy Dalton's hands more quickly. Kamara was incorporated.
I think criticism of Pete Carmichael's play-calling has been a bit overblown, but he was at fault in this one, in my opinion.
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WHERE'S THE SPEED?
The Saints have added speed at the skill positions on offense, but I'm not sure they have enough of it on defense, particularly at the ends.
It's not obvious in every matchup, but it really stands out in matchups like this one. Lamar Jackson is as elite as they come with the legs, but it doesn't even take that. Any quarterback with the slightest bit of wiggle has been able to give this defense fits at points. The elite runners have made life absolutely miserable for that group.
That was the case in this one. At points it felt like the only chance the Saints had to get off the field was for Jackson to miss a wide-open receiver. Too many times he was able to casually set up the pass rush and escape outside. His zone reads were virtually unstoppable. It didn't seem to matter who was around him in the pocket, he was escaping.
Don't get me wrong, Pete Werner has been excellent, but he's not the sideline to sideline linebacker that it feels like you need to run with Lamar Jackson. Demario Davis has always been a guy who thrives with his instincts more than pure athleticism.
Sometimes you need pure athleticism. Werner and Marcus Davenport also left this game with injuries. That's when Kenyan Drake starting ripping off gains with ease. Once that starts happening, things are bleak.
There was at least one bright spot: Payton Turner is the type of dynamic athlete that I think could help swing some of that athleticism the Saints' direction. His play to string out a toss for a big loss in the 4th quarter helped keep the Saints alive as the Ravens settled for a field goal.
Don't get me wrong: The Saints defense didn't "cost" them this game. But they never threatened to win it either, and with a Saints offense that couldn't get anything going, you needed more.
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AS THE OL TURNS...
Well, so much for the positive vibes in the offensive line meeting room. After two weeks without allowing a sack, Andy Dalton was under constant pressure in this one. It was tough to pinpoint a source, but it looked eerily like the group that struggled in Weeks 1-2 while allowing a stunning 10 sacks.
There were no stars in that group. They allowed four sacks and a mess of pressures. There was some push generated in the run game, particularly in the second half, but the pass protection simply collapsed. It didn't help that the normally rock-steady Erik McCoy went out with a calf injury and didn't return. Cesar Ruiz, who this week announced that he finally feels "natural" at guard this season, welp, back to center you go.
It's tough to know how much of an impact that was, but it certainly affects the communication and line calls. Perhaps that's why Dalton not only got hit, he got blown up multiple times in key moments down the stretch of the game.
It's amazing how quickly things can feel impossible when the protection breaks down, particularly when you don't have a QB that can make anyone miss. I saw some mild clamoring for Jameis Winston amid Dalton's struggles ... but even the biggest Jameis fan shouldn't want to see him teed off on the way Dalton was in the second half.
This was a tough matchup against a VERY athletic front 7 (the opposite of what we just talked about above with the Saints. There's no smoking gun for the struggles. All I can say is: Send good vibes to Erik McCoy and hope it's not an injury that will keep him out an extended period, because his absence makes everything more difficult.
LAGNIAPPE
Alontae Taylor continued his stellar play. He tackled well. His best moment came when he stayed plastered to DeSean Jackson even while all things went haywire in the backfield with Lamar Jackson scrambling. In a season where everything has seemed to go wrong, he has been a clear bright spot. ... Marquez Callaway is so hot and cold, he could be used to cure aches and pains. That was clear on the final drive of the first half, when he had two nice catches to help move the ball into scoring range, only to not get to the right depth in the end zone for a ball that tipped off his hands. Instead of 7 the Saints settled for 3. Dalton left the ball a little high (and he did not have a particularly sharp game as he was getting accosted by Ravens defenders all night) but it was catchable. ... The Ravens batted three balls down at the line of scrimmage. That's not good. ... There was still a lot of noise even as the Saints drove in garbage time. That's because a majority of the people left in the building with 4 minutes to go were wearing purple.