There was positivity for the Saints in this game, but it all went away in the final 2 minutes of the first half in a 42-34 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
The lack of any dominant team will keep the Saints in the conversation despite the 2-5 start, but things are teetering very close to a lost season with a long way left to go. The Saints now have 10 days off, and they better make them count.
With all that in mind, here are my three quick takeaways from a brutal night out in the desert.
ALONTAE TAYLOR WAS SOLID
That game had a lot of rough moments, but we'll start it with a positive note: You really needed Alontae Taylor to step up in this game, and he did.
There was criticism of the Saints spending a premium, second-round selection on a cornerback. It was a position that seemed well stocked with Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo and Bradley Roby, plus an elite slot corner in CJ Gardner-Johnson. Why use a top-50 pick on a player who might not have a role in his rookie season.
We saw why in Week 7. Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo were inactive with injuries. Bradley Roby went down with an injury in the first quarter. CJ Gardner-Johnson plays for the Eagles now. But Taylor came back from injured reserve and immediately had to defend DeAndre Hopkins. He did that to force a long FG on the Cardinals' opening drive. On the Cardinals' second drive he blanketed Rondale Moore in the end zone so well that he drew offensive pass interference. There were some less perfect moments as the game wore on, but when you leave your rookie on an island long enough, you're going to have problems.
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He finished the game across from Chris Harris Jr., who was elevated from the practice squad and struggled with multiple penalties. The Saints now have 10 days to recover and will hope to get Lattimore, Adebo and Roby back to action. But at least they know Taylor is what they thought he was.
The rest of the defense? I can't say many positive things. You knew the pass defense was going to be a struggle. Sure. But you also couldn't stop the run. Not one iota. There's no excuse for that. One a defensive possession where all you had to do was hold for a field goal, you got the ball pounded into your face by, wait for it ... did you even know this guy's name prior to tonight? Eno Benjamin. This team isn't right, and I'm not sure how you get there. All I can say is: Must be nice to be the Eagles right about now.
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THAT SURE DIDN'T SEEM CALM
Prior to the game NFL Network's Ian Rapaport shared a report that one of the reasons the Saints feel confident in starting Andy Dalton, and potentially giving him the QB1 job going forward, is his "calming effect" on the locker room.
Well, things certainly didn't seem calm at the end of the first half with a pair of pick-6s coming within minutes of each other. The first can't be blamed on Dalton, with an on-target pass going through the arms of the sure-handed Marquez Callaway and landing in the arms of Marco Wilson (yes, the same guy who once threw an LSU shoe). The second won't be so kind. He did have pressure and it looked like he might've gotten his arm hit, but the ball still went where he was looking ... and that was into the waiting arms of Isaiah Simmons.
Dalton also threw an ill-advised interception in the red zone that sacrificed a sure three points. That's anything but calm.
Still, you get the idea. After Callaway's awful drop, Dalton sent the very next pass his way, and the third-year pro delivered. He gave Callaway another chance down the sideline and he wasn't able to hang on. It's a veteran move, because you need that guy, and you need him confident.
The red rifle had positive moments, too. His 53-yard bomb to Rashid Shaheed on the Saints' opening drive was as pretty a throw you'll see in an NFL game.
He also extended a play earlier in the drive and found Chris Olave for a first down. There was a 64-yard catch and run by Kevin White and a TD to Juwan Johnson in the fourth quarter. There are glimpses of an offense that can potentially win you games.
Dalton finished 30-of-47 for 361 yards, 4 TDs and 3 interceptions, numbers that sound a lot better after a rally with the game out of reach.
But at the end of the day, as Richard Sherman put it on the halftime show, if you're going to throw interceptions, you might as well play Jameis Winston. It at least makes the offense more explosive.
I don't know how close Jameis is to full health, or whether he'll be ready in 10 days. But I think you have to go back to him at that point. Because the only justification for playing Dalton is a more controlled, composed attack that doesn't sacrifice field position and points for chunk plays. You got the exact opposite in Week 7.
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THE TAYSOM HILL OFFENSE GOT MORE CREATIVE
I've been complaining about it all week, so it's only fair that I give Pete Carmichael credit: The Taysom Hill offense was far less predictable in this game.
If it hadn't been such a painful game to watch on the passes he didn't throw, that could've been the conversation after this game. On one play the Saints had Marquez Callaway, Kevin White and Alvin Kamara stacked wide for what looked like an RPO. If the Cardinals ignore the stack, you throw the bubble screen, and that's what happened for a first down.
Hill also hit Chris Olave for a 41-yard gain in the second quarter, and he finished off that drive with a 3-yard catch for his first receiving touchdown of the year. The QB power game hasn't been as effective the past two weeks, but hitting on the other elements will bring that around again. The more diverse you can be, the more difficult it will be to stop.
In the end Taysom finished with 9 yards rushing on his 3 carries, 48 yards passing on 2 throws, 3 yards and a TD on 1 catch. His role was limited after halftime, and I don't disagree with that decision in a game you really never had a chance to win. The Saints finished in a 8-point hole. I can keep complaining about a lack of creativity all I want, if the season is lost it doesn't much matter. And don't kid yourself, even in a weak NFC, this season is very close to being lost.
LAGNIAPPE
Rashid Shaheed did it again. On the opening drive he got loose over the top for a 53-yard touchdown. It was his second career touchdown on his second career touch. The problem is it was also the second week that he didn't touch the ball again after his big play. Why? That's anybody's guess. He became only the second player (along with Marquise Brown) to score 40-plus yard TDs on their first two career touches dating back to 1991. ... Pete Werner had another 3 solo tackles. He's now alone in the NFL lead in that department with the rest of the league waiting until Sunday and Monday. ... Hill now has a rushing TD, Receiving TD and passing TD this season. It's the second time in his career he's done that (2020). ... Dalton has now lost 18 consecutive primetime games, and he's lost to the Cardinals as a starting QB in four consecutive seasons. ... Sean Payton and Drew Brees were both in the building to watch this game. ... The TNF broadcast reported that Taysom Hill has been playing with a cracked rib suffered in Week 2 (in addition to the rib injuries suffered in the preseason). He gets a numbing spray before each game. Puts his performances the last few weeks into perspective. ... Juwan Johnson had two touchdowns against the Cardinals. It's his second career multi-TD game (Week 1 vs Packers in 2021).