At the end of the day the New Orleans Saints' primary goal was to go 1-0 in Week 5, and that's exactly what happened in a back-and-forth, 39-32 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
But that doesn't mean the Saints escaped without a black eye -- or two, according to head coach Dennis Allen.
The first of those came in the form of big plays surrendered, of which there were many. The Saints defense held up well for all but four or five big plays, Allen said, unfortunately they accounted for 28 points in the form of two long TDs to Tyler Lockett, another to DK Metcalf early in the game, and a 69-yard TD run by Kenneth Walker in the 4th quarter. The "inexcusable" mistake came at the end of the first half with a long touchdown that turned what looked like a sure halftime lead into a 19-17 deficit.
"I look at the way we played defensively and I'd say, but for about four or five plays, you know, it was pretty good," Allen said. "But yet, those four or five plays ended up being basically 28 points in the game. So, those are things we got to clean up."
It's a familiar issue, considering a long touchdowns late in losses to the Bucs (Breshad Perriman) and Panthers (Laviska Shenault), and a long pass late in the loss to the Vikings (Justin Jefferson) really sealed those results after hard-fought, close games.
But the other black eye was equally familiar: Turnovers. That "inexcusable" touchdown to Lockett came after Alvin Kamara coughed the ball up in Seahawks territory with the Saints appearing primed to extend their lead before the break. It's Kamara's second fumble of the season, both of which have led directly to touchdowns. The other turnover came from the arm of Andy Dalton, whose pass targeting Tre'Quan Smith early in the fourth quarter ended up in the arms of Tariq Woolen.
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"We did enough things offensively to overcome those things," Allen said.
Yes, but barely. After going ahead 31-19, the two long scores had the Saints trailing 32-31 after a failed 2-point conversion. However, Kamara's 194-yard performance coupled with Taysom Hill's monstrous, four-TD effort won the day. Hill's final score was a 60-yard scamper on third-and-1 that swung the pendulum in the Saints' direction for the final time.
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HOW MUCH OF LUXURY IS TAYSOM ON THIRD-AND-SHORT?
Every time the Saints got in short yardage or the red zone, it was Taysom time. He carried the ball four times on third down, and jumbo looks, all easy conversions. At the end of the day he finished with an astounding 112 rushing yards and three TDs on 9 carries, along with a passing touchdown to Adam Trautman.
It's not the typical NFL method to take the QB off the field in the most high-leverage moments, but it's certainly been effective.
"You have weapons that you feel like you can utilize and do the things that those guys do really well," Allen said. "And I think any time you have a guy that can play the quarterback position and he can affect the game with his legs, it creates a challenge for the defense because now you have to play 11-on-11 football, and, you know, and then if you start creeping, you know, safety now too far into the box, you know, he can still do some things in the passing game. So yeah, it's a it's a good piece to have."
Was the heavy usage a plan coming in?
"We talked earlier in the week, and Pete and I were were talking and he felt like some of the run game stuff that we could do with Taysom in the game could be really good against this against this group," Allen said. "And he was right. Taysom was was really effective."
How do you think teams will adjust? Does it matter?
"Certainly our future opponents are going to look at this game. They're going to have ways that they're going to try to defend it. And so people are going to make adjustments. But that's always been part of what we've been able to do here with Taysom. And we'll continue to find ways to utilize that. And when it's effective and it's working, we'll keep doing it. You know? So, credit Pete for, if it's working, keep calling it."
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HOW IS CHRIS OLAVE?
The Saints' star rookie came down with a contested touchdown that helped flip momentum back in the Saints' favor early in the second half, but he looked to be knocked unconscious on the field as his head struck the turf during the tackle. Allen hadn't gotten a chance to visit with him immediately after the game, but he was in good spirits. He'll be in the concussion protocol this week.
"He seemed like he was in pretty good spirits. He was excited about the win," Allen said. "So look, he'll go through the process. And, and we'll make sure we're following all the steps and we'll see where he's at."
There had also not yet been word on Marshon Lattimore's abdomen injury immediately following the game.
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HOW GOOD DID IT FEEL TO FINALLY RIGHT THE SHIP TODAY?
"Well, it always feels good to win in our league. So yeah, it feels good. We wanted to go 1-0 this week. We accomplished that task and now we got to move on to the next one."