Welp, that wasn't pretty -- but exactly how concerned should Saints fans be after a hard-luck loss to the Eagles?
Well, Saquon Barkley is still running and Derek Carr should still be looking over his shoulder after a 15-12 loss with frustrating injuries, pressure and big plays from Philly.
With all that in mind, here are the three up, three down after the Saints' loss to the Eagles in Week 3.
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THREE DOWN
OL depth
I don't want to be too harsh on Lucas Patrick. He was put in a rough situation trying to replace Erik McCoy, as was Oli Udoh replacing him at LG. But man, if you felt good about the Saints OL situation going in, you got a real good look at why their depth is an issue coming out.
The Saints couldn't get any push in the run game and they were allowing near-constant interior pressure. I fully agree with the decision to go on 4th and 1 in the red zone in the third quarter, but the lone argument against it that I'll entertain is why you would trust the IOL in that situation.
One of the more bizarre stats in this game is that the Saints only allowed one sack. That's probably more a product of Derek Carr avoiding them than anything else, but there were several batted balls and plays that looked like they had a chance if there was enough time to run them.
McCoy's injury seemed significant and you have to at least entertain the scenario that he misses multiple weeks. If that's the case, you have to ask the question whether sticking with Patrick is the best option, or maybe you turn to Cesar Ruiz, keep Patrick at LG (where I think he's much better) and find the best option at right guard. Either way, losing McCoy changed this game and the Saints will need to have an answer going forward if he's not able to get back.
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Run defense
The numbers look worse than it was, but you can't skate over 147 yards and 2 touchdowns on 17 carries. Nearly half of that came on a 65-yard touchdown rush in the 4th quarter, but that's all it took for Saquon Barkley to change this game.
And let's be real, things were a bit too easy for the Eagles on the ground in the second half despite only running the ball 25 times between the starting RB and QB. We talked all week about how Saquon was one of the few, true home run threats from the RB position in today's NFL, and that certainly changed this matchup. Oh, and when the Eagles got the ball down to the goal line later in the game and needed a score, he plowed in with ease and then followed up with a 2-point conversion.
I'd like to say that there's only one Saquon, but if I had to pick one back I'd compare him to, it'd be Bijan. The Saints have already had their struggles containing him, but at least they don't have to worry about Kirk Cousins running the ball (because I'm pretty sure he couldn't run if his life depended on it). Let's be better next week.
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Get me a yard!
As mentioned above, I understand why folks are annoyed about the decision to go on 4th and 1 after J.T. Gray's blocked punt -- but analytically and objectively it was the right call. Going up 6-0 doesn't really benefit you in a game where touchdowns count for 7. All you're doing is erasing a scenario where the other teams plays conservatively for a game-tying field goal.
I get why folks will look at a 3-point game and argue that the field goal changes the result, but if the Saints go down 7-6 moments after settling for a field goal -- all the criticism is on the decision to settle for a kick. It's also worth noting that the game plays out completely differently if you kick there. For example, the Saints' go-ahead touchdown drive was triggered by a bizarre decision by Nick Sirianni to send Jake Elliott for a 60-yard attempt. He did that with the goal of going up by 7. Would he have made that decision in a 1-point game to go up 4? Most likely not.
The point is you can't look in hindsight and just add 3 points, you have to consider how it changes the game. Did it seem like the Saints would've been able to execute a long drive starting from inside their 10? Most likely not.
The biggest issue is that the Saints couldn't pick up a hard yard on 3rd or 4th down. My biggest question is where the heck was Jamaal Williams in that situation. Isn't what what he's here to do? If it's not, then why is he here at all?
At the end of the day the Saints need to run the ball to have success this season. Whether Erik McCoy is healthy or not, the Saints need to find a way to get it done.
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Yes, there's more
Derek Carr was getting lit up all game and I could've told you any day of the week that interior pressure would be a problem. He did a good job of protecting the ball when the Siants had a lead, and when they needed a touchdown late he got the job done. That said, I would've loved to see Derek handle things a bit better late in the game. The interception to close things out didn't have to happen, even with a defensive tackle breathing down his throat. A sack wouldn't have been the end of the world there with a timeout and four downs to work with only needing a field goal. Survive to play another down would've been optimal. Instead he threw the ball up for grabs and the game ended. I'm not going to make it a bigger thing than it needs to be, but it could've been better. ... Where exactly is Juwan Johnson? Honestly, where were all the pass-catchers not named Chris Olave? Zero catches for Rashid Shaheed on five targets. Zero catches for Juwan on zero targets. Man, this was rough.
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THREE UP
Big-play Olave
This wasn't exactly a banner day for the Saints' offense, but one thing Chris Olave has always been elite at is creating quick separation. That was all the more important in Week 3 with the Saints' pocket protection landing somewhere between slim and none.
Derek Carr only completed 14 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown, but 6 of those completions and 86 yards went to Olave. When the Saints needed a big third down conversion it was to Olave for 29 yards standing alone over the middle of the field. When the Saints needed a touchdown, it was Olave burning C.J. Gardner-Johnson in coverage for a toe-dragging score that -- at least for a few moments -- felt like it might just be enough to steal a win.
There will be better days ahead of the Saints offense and Olave hasn't exactly gone supernova yet in the WR1 role, but he's very clearly that dude.
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Carl Granderson
There are a lot of things that went wrong for the Saints today, but I truly don't think containing Jalen Hurts was was one of those things. Yes, Hurts completed 29-38 for 311 yards and an interception, but he only ran for 25 yards on 8 carries.
The Saints weren't able to get Hurts to the ground as much as they probably liked, but that's not Carl's fault. He finished the game with 1.5 sacks, 2 QB hits an 2 TFLs. Brian Bresee was busy as well, with 2 sacks, 2 TFLs and a pair of QB hits. I'm not convinced the Saints have mobile QBs completely figured out, but this was certainly a better type of day than we've seen in the past.
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Hello, Mr. Hayball
I've been critical of the Saints' rookie punter in the past, so it's only fair that I give the guy his due for a very solid day.
In a game where the Saints' really needed to win field position, Matt Hayball did that really well a majority of the time. Here's how his four punts broke down:
- From NO 33 to PHI 23 (no return; 44 net)
- From NO 27 to PHI 21 (no return; 52 net)
- From PHI 40 to PHI 7 (no return; 33 net)
- From PHI 42 to PHI 9 (6 yard return; 27 net)
Now, we still haven't seen Hayball truly flip the field from a bad situation, but a 52-yard net kick is nothing to sneeze at. The net numbers won't jump off the page, but that's mainly because of the two short-field kicks. Regardless, I think you're seeing what won the Vandy kid the job.
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HONORABLE MENTION; I hope y'all are appreciating Tyrann Mathieu while you get to watch him, because he's a superstar and you'lll miss him when he's gone. Another interception today to make it three turnovers forced in three games. In 37 games for the Saints (he hasn't missed any), the Honey Badger's got 180 tackles (128 solo), 20 passes defensed, 9 INTs, 2 TFLs, 2 QB hits, 1 sack, 1 FF, 1 FR. Worth every penny. .. I know a lot of folks just roll their eyes when we sit here and talk about special teams, but we shouldn't have to work too hard to explain J.T. Gray's value. The offense couldn't take advantage, but the blocked punt sure felt like a game-changing moment when it happened.