Stock up, stock down after Saints stumped by Vikings: Negativity piles up

The New Orleans Saints finished their three-game homestand in the worst possible way, getting battered and bruised with little to show for it in a 23-13 loss to the Vikings that didn't feel nearly as close as that score makes it look.

The Saints had their lowest offensive output since the 2021 season and couldn't figure out the Vikings blitz-heavy scheme, and now turn to an extended road trip swing at 1-4.

With all that in mind, here are the stock up and stock down players -- plus some lagniappe -- after Week 5.

STOCK DOWN

1. CONFIDENCE

The Saints spent all week talking about preparation, players responding the right way after an embarrassing loss to the Falcons, handling the pressure heavy scheme of the Vikings. In reality they had no answers.

This offense managed just 142 yards ... total. The Vikings found more than that just in their ground game. Tyler Shough was harassed constantly and completed 16 of 25 for 96 yards and a pair of ugly interceptions. There were some nice moments in the run game, but in an all-too-familiar scene the Saints got away from it and managed just 55 yards on the ground. Nine of their 17 carries came on their lone scoring drive in the second quarter.

The Saints had zero answers on offense. They're not the first offense to be taken apart by this Vikings scheme and they won't be the last. But this game did highlight just how far this Saints offense seems to be from a playoff-caliber unit. More concerningly, things seem to be regressing. You can sense it in the locker room. There's clear frustration this year that was much more difficult to sense last year, despite an identical record through five games. This is a 1-4 football team with very little optimism. The expectations were higher this time around, but the result has been the same.

The offensive mastermind the fanbase was sold has shown no indication of that being the case, and it's as confusing as it is frustrating. Most concerningly, this is an offense that doesn't seem to do the obvious things to make life easier on themselves. Screens? The Saints run them at the lowest rate in the NFL. Play action? Much of the same. RPOs and the QB run game? Pretty much nonexistent. It was so glaring that Drew Brees, who will always pull his punches when it comes to the Saints, couldn't help but calling it out on the broadcast. Perhaps that prompts the Saints shot callers to take notice and put a word in?

It might not be time to turn things upside down, but it'd be foolish not to consider shaking things up. That was simply too ugly of a performance to brush off as growing pains and the flood of Vikings fans in the Dome who managed to get off a legit Skol clap and turn some late third downs into what felt like a road environment can't be ignored. In three weeks the Saints have managed to turn a fanbase that was as excited about this team as we've seen in years into something worse than angry: It's apathetic.

I'm on the sideline every week and I know where the superfans sit. These are the folks who are at every game, good or bad. Some have been there for decades at this point. This week I saw Vikings fans in several of those seats. It's a sign of the times. Fix it, or it only gets worse. Opposing fans are having way too much fun in your building.

2. SPECIAL TEAMS

Ugh. I know there's a lot to be annoyed about from this game, but I can't help but look at special teams and say ... what if?

This was never going to be pretty. The Vikings make sure of that. They were the top-ranked scoring defense coming into the day (12.8 per game) and that's exactly where the Saints landed. But there was a road to the Saints winning this game ugly. It was a narrow one. It wasn't paved. There were going to be bumps and potholes, maybe a flat tire along the way. It wasn't going to be a fun ride, but the road was there. Special teams miscues made that road impassable.

It started with the inexplicable decision to let Myles Price, the NFL leader in punt return average, burn you multiple times in the return game. The Saints' average drive start was just shy of the 25 yard line, the 6th-worst mark in the league. The Vikings' was past the 40, the 4th best. All frustrating, but those didn't kill you. The Saints led 7-6 at halftime. It was what happened to start the third quarter that truly threw things out of whack.

The Saints got the ball first after halftime. They had at least some semblance of momentum. This was a game that could be won with kicks, and worst case they could try to play the field position game. That was all undone in one moment with a Jayden Price fumble. The Vikings took over at the New Orleans 37 and scored a touchdown six plays later. Looking back on this game, the only chance the Saints had was to play from in front and force the Vikings into mistakes. Did the game seem entirely different once Minnesota was pinned to a lead? That one play ensured they'd be in that position the rest of the game.

On the ensuing Saints drive Tyler Shough made the unfortunate decision to try to force a pass on 2nd and long. He missed on the throw and it landed directly in Byron Murphy's arms. To make matters worse, it's a play that wouldn't have counted even if it had worked. Things didn't get better from the Saints offense from there, though the defense did come up with a scoop and score for a touchdown that looked to give the Saints another lead.

Well, that was until the next massive special teams blunder, with Daniel Carlson yanking the PAT to the left. Instead of a 14-13 lead it was a 13-13 tie. Would that point have changed anything in the grand scheme? Who's to say. But it did feel like a moment that let the air out of balloon. A defense that had just been on the field for an extended drive had to go right back out there and allowed a six-play touchdown drive.

For the second consecutive week there were no major positive contributions on special teams, only mistakes. This team isn't good enough to win consistently if they aren't also winning in the margins. Disappointing.

CONTAINING KYLER

We all knew Kyler Murray could run, even if he'd done it sparingly so far this season. Well, at least we should've known that, because the Saints did an absolutely terrible job handling it.

Time after time after time in critical moments, Kyler picked up first downs with his legs in key moments. I kept waiting for some kind of adjustment and it never came. He finished the day with 10 carries for 51 yards, including three kneeldowns, but the circumstances are more telling. Let's break them down:

Run 1: Q2, 3:28 ... 3rd & 19, Murray scrambles right for 5 yards (punt)
Run 2: Q3, 12:54 ... 3rd & 10, Murray scrambles right for 18 yards (first down)
Run 3: Q3, 7:35 ... 1st & 10, Murray scrambles right for 3 yards
Run 4: Q3, 3:46 ... 3rd & 7, Murray scrambles middle for 10 yards (first down)
Run 5: Q3, 2:26 ... 1st & 10, Murray scrambles left for 6 yards
Run 6: Q4, 11:27 ... 3rd & 1, Murray scrambles right for 5 yards (first down)
Run 7: Q4, 7:48 ... 3rd & 13, Murray scrambles middle for 7 yards

It might not seem like a lot, but in what figures to be a low scoring game ... you have the opponent in 3rd & 10, you've got to get off the field. It can't be the QB running free for 18 yards. The Vikings scored a touchdown on that possession, their first after going 37 consecutive drives without finding the end zone.

It's an area that I felt like the Saints had made progress in. They took a step back in this game. It also was far from the only one of Kyler's tools they were burned by. Murray completed 24 of 30 passes for 229 yards, including his first 12 of the game. One of the league's least dynamic offenses looked a lot more proficient this week.

A FEW MORE

Not to give anyone any excuses, but in a game you were already without Kaden Elliss, losing Vernon Broughton and Nathan Shepherd to illnesses at the last moment was killer. Tough to know if it would have changed the matchup, but those are two starters who were obviously a big part of the gameplan all week. It also creates a scenario where you'll have to keep an eye on things going forward. Bugs can ravage a locker room and this team desperately needs to get right. ... I felt like Tyler Shough got rattled in this game in a way we really haven't seen. That's not a good look. Both interceptions were ugly, though the second it just seemed like he was trying to make something happen and I can't blame him. The DB didn't bite on a double move and that's what it looks like. I'm a little more concerned with the left hand than anything else. He insists that it's not affecting him, but when asked point blank if the hand was broken, his response was "I don't know if I can answer that." Needless to say, if your hand isn't broken, there's a pretty simple response available for that question. I'm still in on Shough long-term, but the Saints desperately need to make life easier on him. ... The Saints opted to rotate Mason Murphy in at left tackle for a drive in the first half. They'll sell this as trying to get a young player reps, but I just don't think you take your starting left tackle off the field unless you're strongly considering replacing him. Asim Richards has struggled since taking over for Kelvin Banks, who I saw on crutches at the stadium. He's still a ways off. ... Bryce Lance is a young player, so I don't want to be too critical, but there's a reason the Saints really didn't want to have to give him a role too early. He's not ready. There were a handful of mistakes in this game and at one point it seemed like he didn't hear a check. Lance ran a go as Shough threw a slant on third and long. The Saints were fortunate it didn't turn into a pick-six. ... The Saints only had six accepted penalties for 41 yards in this game, but it seemed they all came at the worst possible time. The most notable were a pair of holding calls that negated big runs. The first came on Noah Fant, which negated a 13 yard run on 2nd & 8, and the Saints punted a few plays later. CJ Donaldson also had a hold that negated a 12-yard completion to Devaughn Vele on 2nd and 11. Shough threw an interception two plays later.

STOCK UP

1. TAKEAWAYS

One of my keys going into this game was: Can the Saints tilt this game in the takeaway department? The answer was yes, but not quite steeply enough.

Still, there were two moments where the Saints felt like they had a fighting chance in this game. The first was after a fumble forced by DT Khristian Boyd -- who just keeps making impacts -- deep in the red zone and recovered by Chase Young. The big guy needs to work on his ball security, because he looked like he was running with a loaf of bread. But it was the momentum swing the Saints needed early in this game and the Saints offense answered with their only scoring drive. That led to the first halftime lead for the Saints this season.

The second takeaway also came in the red zone, this time with Martin Emerson Jr. punching the ball out, which was recovered by Jonas Sanker and returned 86 yards to the house. It felt like a bit of football karma, with Sanker rewarded with a TD after being robbed of one in Week 1. It's the longest TD in the NFL this season, and mirrored a similar TD we saw Jordan Howden score in Week 5 of last year in a win over the Giants. The score appeared to put the Saints in front, but the PAT was missed.

Still, it created a scenario where a game that felt dominated by the Vikings was tied 13-13 with less than 3 minutes to go in the third quarter. Being opportunistic and taking the ball away gave the Saints a chance in a game they had no business being in. Hopefully they can keep that going on the road.

2. GRANDO

I wasn't a huge fan of how this game went for the defensive ends, particiluarly when it came to containing Kyler Murray. But it's hard to blame Carl Granderson, who at points seemed to be the only player making big plays.

When things went well for this defense and it wasn't a takeaway, it was often a product of Granderson winning. At times he seems to be the only guy capable of actually making a stop from the edge. He finished the game with 5 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, two QB hurries and two TFLs. At some point soon, hopefully, we saw this defense back to full strength.

We saw a decent amount of pressure in this game, but he was the only one who seemed capable of converting them into big plays. Hopefully at some point soon we get to see this defense back to full strength.

3. COMMON SENSE

OK, so I'm reaching here, but considering I spent a good chunk of the week banging the drum to get CJ Donaldson more real run game work, I have to at least point out that the Saints did just that.

Things obviously didn't go to plan for much of the game on offense, but the one time it did, they leaned on the run game and that included early down work for Donaldson. Here's a recap of their run plays on that drive, which began at the Saints 34 after a takeaway:

- 1st & 10, NO 34: Miller left guard, +3
- 1st & 15, NO 46: Donaldson middle, +7
- 2nd & 8, MIN 47: Kamara left tackle, +4
- 3rd & 4, MIN 43: Donaldson right guard, +2
- 1st & 10, MIN 23: Miller right guard, +9
- 2nd & 1, MIN 14: Miller right guard, +7
- 1st & 7, MIN 7: Miller left tackle, +6
- 2nd & 1, MIN 1: Miller middle, -1
- 3rd & 2, MIN 2: Miller middle, +2TD

The Saints only had 17 total runs for 55 yards. More than half of those runs (9) and yards (39) came on that possession. The Saints only -- and I mean only -- hope in that game was to run the ball efficiently and avoid major blunders that drove the score up to an area they weren't going to reach. That drive showed why.

It's something to build on. I'm getting a bit tired of trying to be sold positives after disastrous games, but for this thing to be fixed it has to start somewhere. After this drive Kamara didn't see another snap until the third quarter. As much as it pains me to say it, that's really how this thing should look until Travis Etienne gets back. If Donaldson is the best pass pro back, he's a guy who deserves to get a reasonable chunk of the gameplan. If Miller is the most explosive, he deserves to get pretty much the rest of it. Kamara won't like it, but I'm just not entirely sure what value he's adding at this point.

I also, desperately, need to see a play-calling head coach that has SOME answers on offense. A commitment to the run game to set up the pass would be one of them. Make life easier on your young QB, please, before he gets killed out there. To this point it's seemed like the Saints are only committed to calling runs until it stops working, and then they never think about it again. We see it, so does the opposing defense.

HONORABLE MENTION

I felt like Danny Stutsman looked a little overwhelmed last week in taking over for Kaden Elliss, but this was a much better showing. He still seems a bit undersized at times -- particularly when compared to the player he's replacing -- but he held up much better in the run game this time around and held the point of attack. He finished the game with nine tackles (five solo). He's a developing player who probably isn't ready to be in a starting role right now, but there's still upside. These starting opportunities will be really important for him long term. ... Devaughn Vele continues to deliver. His line was only 4 catches for 26 yards, but all of those catches seemed to come in critical moments. Through five games he's already matched his catch total (25) from last season. He's exactly what the Saints were hoping he'd be when they traded for him.