The Saints' offense is battered. It's bleeding. It's somehow getting worse.
Bills fans descended on the Superdome, and they were the only ones left when Buffalo's turkey-fed stars jogged off the field following a 31-6 loss. The result marks a 4-game losing streak for the Saints, and steep drop from a 5-2 start to the season.
━━━━
With all that in mind, here are my top three takeaways from a Thanksgiving debacle at the Superdome.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, ISN'T IT?
Not all of the Saints' issues can be placed at the feet of the quarterback. We know about the injuries, one of the more significant ones is the reason Trevor Siemian is in the game to begin with.
But exactly how many times do we need to see the exact same story play out?
The Saints have trailed by 14 or more in each of Siemian's starts, and it doesn't appear to be getting better. It was always going to be a struggle, but this appears impossible. The Saints managed just 7 points in the first three quarters of a loss to the Eagles, staring at a 33-7 deficit to begin the 4th quarter. Against the Bills on Thanksgiving, it was a 24-0 deficit.
Like clockwork, the game turned over in the 4th quarter and Siemian found Nick Vannett for a touchdown. Also like clockwork the Saints failed for the 10th consecutive time on a 2-point conversion attempt.
All of this happened as Taysom Hill, the other half of a QB competition with Jameis Winston in the offseason, paced up and down the sideline wearing a black ballcap instead of a helmet. He was a full participant in practice all week despite being listed on the injury report with a foot issue.
Related
Is he healthy enough to play? I'd assume not. And I do that because it's the only justifiable reason we saw this playmaker-starved offense. Siemian didn't do his late-game rally thing this time. There was no silver lining. If the Saints don't act soon, there will be too little of the season left to salvage.
A QB change won't force health upon people who don't have it, but it could give a spark to a listless offense. It feels like it has to happen now, or it never will -- because it won't matter.
━━━━
BRADLEY ROBY WILL HAVE TO STEP UP
It was always going to be a challenge to replace the versatile CJ Gardner-Johnson after he landed on injured reserve. It appears a hefty part of that burden has and will continue to land on cornerback Bradley Roby, who arrived just prior to Week 1 through a trade with the Texans.
Roby has had his ups and downs, much like the man he's replacing on key defensive snaps. He was targeted a handful of times in the loss to the Bills with varying results. He was beaten for a first down by Emmanuel Sanders in the first half, but came up big later with an interception of Josh Allen near midfield.
He was matched up with longtime Saints nemesis Stefon Diggs on the play, stepping in front to pick off the ball thrown late over the middle of the field. It set up the offense at midfield. That's all the defense can do.
The nickel position isn't a glamorous one. It draws a murderer's row of assignments in today's NFL. In the Week 8 win over the Bucs, Gardner-Johnson was brutalized by Chris Godwin, but got his own interception in similar fashion.
That's the life of a nickel. You get battered and bruised. You're asked to do a bit of everything. You're too small to be linebacker, but you've got to step up and hit like one. Make the big plays and you're the fans' favorite player, miss and you're the problem. That's where Bradley Roby is right now. Until CJ Gardner-Johnson (hopefully) gets back into the action, that is.
━━━━
HELLO, NICK VANNETT
The signing of a veteran tight end, and primarily a blocker, is rarely met with fanfare. But even by those standards Nick Vannett's addition flew under the radar.
Still, he was expected to form a big-bodied duo with second-year TE Adam Trautman as the team looked to replace the entrenched Josh Hill and Jared Cook. Vannett missed significant time in training camp with what he described as a severe flu, and returned to practice on one of the hottest days of the summer.
He worked his way into the preseason opener against the Jaguars, but went down with a knee injury. So did Trautman, who returned in time for Week 1. But the injury for Vannett was more significant. He described it this week as a Grade 2 MCL sprain. The injury lingered, and he wasn't able to get back on the field until Week 11.
Fittingly, Trautman had his best game of the season, but is now lost for the next month-plus with a knee injury of his own. That's why Vannett's touchdown to open the 4th quarter of the Bills, while largely meaningless, meant a lot to the veteran. It'll also mean something to the Saints, who will have to rely on Vannett as their primary pass-catcher out of the tight end position the rest of the way. He and veteran Garrett Griffin were announced as starters on Thanksgiving. Converted WR Juwan Johnson could also have an impact, but his role in the offense has been tamped down in recent weeks.
Can Vannett be a piece that helps unlock an offense that's been stuck in neutral? Who knows, but every little bit helps -- because there aren't many bits to speak of at this point.