The New Orleans Saints found their first win of the season in Week 5, and a lot of good came along with that -- particularly on defense.
But there were some clear struggle areas as well, with head coach Kellen Moore addressing the most troubling on in particular in his weekly appearance on WWL Radio.
“We have to play better in the red zone," Moore told Mike Hoss and Bobby Hebert. "I have to call it better and give ourself a better opportunity and that’s certainly a charge for myself to find the solutions there."
Hear the full, exclusive interview with Saints head coach Kellen Moore in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
The Saints won the game 26-14 and weren't pushed down the stretch with a defense that forced five straight turnovers, but the 0-for-3 in terms of scoring touchdowns in the red zone is a glaring number. The Saints settled for chip shot field goals on all three occasions, two of which were in goal-to-go scenarios.
The causes for that inefficiency are simple enough to identify, but fixing them might be a bit more complicated. The first step will likely be: Run the ball more effectively.
"Running the football down there is an important aspect, staying on course," Moore continued. "We had too many negative plays, whether it be a penalty or a negative run that puts you in somewhat obvious pass situations and those are challenging situations. If you’re playing third and 10 from the 10, the percentages aren’t good in this league.”
The Saints shouldn't bank on another five-takeaway performance against the Patriots and second-year QB Drake Maye, a team coming off a win over the powerhouse Bills in Buffalo. That game kicks off at noon Sunday inside the Caesars Superdome. Catch all the action on WWL and Audacy.
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Moore from Moore
On the importance of notching that first win
“It was an awesome win for our team. I think the resiliency that our guys have had to go through, it’s not been the easiest first month to start the season, we’ve missed four opportunities, and so for our guys to hang in there I thought was a credit to them. And, really cool moment, you know, a lot of guys deserve a lot of opportunities and recognition and it was cool for Alvin, you know, I feel special to be around these guys. This is a really cool group of guys and I love being able to work with these guys every day.”
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On Blake Grupe's struggles
“Blake has missed some opportunities. Obviously he’s going to be the first one who wants to play better. No one feels great about it, but Blake has got a track record of having a lot of success in this league and when guys go through these challenging circumstances, our job as a coach is to help them become the best version of themself and put them in good situations, and so Blake is gonna make some of these kicks, he’s going to get there. I have all the confidence in the world in him and us collectively have to find the solution that works best so we can proceed moving forward in a really successful manner the way he’s done so many other times in this league. It’s a great opportunity to respond the right way.”
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On Kool-Aid McKinstry's big day
“I think Kool-Aid is a good example and he’s still a young player. It’s his second year in the NFL. There’s a lot of growth opportunities, he’s going to get better as we go. You know, his response to the last few weeks, I thought it was excellent, even, you know, the tight end makes a big-time play in the red zone, they score a touchdown early in the game and then his ability to respond. I think he’s getting better each and every week, I was so fired up for him. Two interceptions, he hadn’t had an interception in the NFL yet, he had been close. Those are big-time plays. Those are big-time opportunities to make a statement, gain some confidence, gain some swagger and certainly that – I think that’s what is gonna come out of this for Kool-Aid.”
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On Spencer Rattler's first win as starting QB
“You’re just so proud of him, so proud of his resiliency, the way he has handled every single week that, at least I have been a part of. I’ve only been a part of this season, so him and I, collectively, we’ve missed four opportunities. For him to respond each week, get a little bit better, get a little bit better. I thought he played some really good football yesterday. I thought it was awesome.”