The New Orleans Saints went into their Week 9 showdown with the Rams as massive underdogs on the betting line. The kindest way to put it would be: The Saints proved that the oddsmakers know what they're talking about.
New Orleans couldn't generate much to be proud of in Tyler Shough's starting debut and got handled on both sides of the ball in a 34-10 loss out at SoFi.
One stat tells the story as well as any other ... time of possession:
- Rams: 43:53
- Saints: 16:07
Tough to win, or even keep the game respectable, when you never have the ball.
With all that in mind, here's my stock up, stock down (mostly down) from another rough day out west.
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STOCK DOWN
Soft coverage
I don’t know exactly what the plan was in this game, but man, it simply didn’t work. Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense seemed to find whatever they wanted in every critical moment.
You had catch and run situations with Puka Nacua early in the game. He’s a brutal guy to tackle and the Rams took full advantage. But Davante Adams also seemed to have all the space he needed, finding soft spots in zones where defenders had no chance of making a play.
On Adams' first touchdown he simply won clean off the line against Alontae Taylor. It was a 2-yard route and he had 2 yards of separation.
Oh, and there was also Puka toasting the Saints' top corner for a 40-yard TD.
Oh, and this one, too.
I get it, the Saints are breaking in a young secondary. I get it, the Rams offense and Sean McVay are a tough matchup for any secondary. I just didn't think the approach worked and I need to see a more competitive scenario than what took place in this game.
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AK’s impact
I’m as big an Alvin Kamara fan as you’ll find, but I’m starting to wonder exactly what value is being added out there.
For a second consecutive week AK logged exactly six carries. This week he generated only 14 yards and gave away the game's only turnover when he was fighting for extra yards in the third quarter. I’d be lying if I said it was a play that decided the game, but it was a play that meant the Saints effectively ceded the entire third quarter to the Rams offense.
Devin Neal logged 11 yards on his three carries. If you woke up from a coma and watched this game, you’d probably be asked why it wasn’t Neal leading the backfield rotation throughout.
Kamara has rushed for 3.5 yards per carry or worse in six of the past seven games, and three of those games have been 2.3, 2.3 and 2.5. The Saints got their first 20-plus yard run of the season this week, and it came from Taysom Hill.
I won’t sit here and say that Alvin has nothing to offer. I still think he’s a good player. But he’s no longer a player that can anchor and elevate an offense on his own. I know he’s made it clear he doesn’t want to play anywhere else and that’s an admirable thing. I don’t want to see him in another jersey, either. But part of me hopes he reconsiders over the next 48 hours. There are situations where he can still be dynamic and give a contender a chance to win it all. This situation isn’t that and honestly it’s just sad to see it play out the way it has for such a talented player.
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Kellen Moore’s offense
One of the reasons I was excited for this season was the return to the offensive wizard head coach build that served the Saints so well in the Sean Payton years.
Maybe that was a bit short-sighted, because to this point I haven’t seen an offense or approach that leaves me all that impressed. It's made even more frustrating by the fact that former Saints OC Klint Kubiak is currently leading one of the NFL's most dynamic offense's up in Seattle. In absolute fairness there are obvious headwinds we need to consider. Kellen Moore has been the head coach for nine games and has started two young quarterbacks with less-than-sky high ceilings. The offense was always going to be capped by that fact.
This is a team that’s now trying to survive without a lynchpin in Erik McCoy, and one of its more effective players in Kendre Miller went down in the same game. The Saints faced a third and 7 early in this game where the Rams rushed four, did nothing particularly exciting and appeared to win every matchup.
Too often there’s no run game to speak of and it seems to get abandoned at the first opportunity. I don’t see much creativity in how the ball is spread to playmakers. Simple pressure packages seem to give this group fits. It’s one of the least explosive offenses in the NFL by basically every statistical metric. In this game they ran 40 plays. FORTY. The Rams ran nearly half that total in one drive.
It also seems at times that Moore's offensive decisions are made on a whim. Whether that’s true or not, that’s how it feels. Last week the Saints came out after halftime, led one failed drive and decided to change quarterbacks. The change wasn't discussed at halftime. That didn't sit right with me, because it displays a lack of depth to game management. Decisions don't seem to be built off one another and that filters into everything. This team's approach too often feels more reactive than proactive.
In the first half of this game after Taysom Hill ran for 29 yards, the first first down of the game for the Saints, the rookie QB was left on the sideline for the next two plays that generated 1 yard. Shough was then reinserted to face a 3rd and 9. Really. You hear coaches talk about putting players in position to succeed. That's not it.
The irony is that Shough actually converted that play for a first down on a dangerous ball to Brandin Cooks, but I just can’t think of a worse way to manage a rookie's first career start.
Then there was the 4th quarter decision to pull Shough again, this time on a 4th and 2 in the red zone. The call was a Taysom Hill QB run that was stopped short. Look, I get it, Taysom is the most effective short-yardage offense this team has, but at the same time … I’m trying to develop a young quarterback and the game is out of reach. Wouldn’t this team benefit more from simply giving the rookie QB a rep in that situation? Or do you intend to run Taysom Hill in every 4th and 2 scenario until the end of time? Does the coaching staff understand the assignment?
It just felt like a play that was disconnected from the obvious truth of this season: It’s all about evaluation and development, until, of course, it’s not and we’re back to doing things that don’t make sense.
Also, remember, teams script their opening plays (in most cases the first 15). It's never a good sign when an offense looks at its worst at that stage of the game. Here were the results of the Saints' first 15 offensive plays on Sunday:
- Kamara middle, +1
- Kamara left guard, +2
- Shough short left to Shaheed, +6 (4th & 1, punt)
- Shough inc short right to Olave
- Shough short left to Kamara, +3
- Shough sack, -9 (4th and 16, punt)
- Kamara right guard, +3
- Shough short left to Cooks, +6
- Shough inc short left to Shaheed, 4th & 1, punt)
- Hill QB run, +29 (first down)
- Hill right tackle, +1
- Hill inc short right to Shaheed
- Shough short left to Cooks, +10 (first down)
- Neal middle, +4
- Shough left guard, +2
The Saints generated 39 yards and two first downs on a Taysom Hill run and a dangerous throw to Cooks. Their other 13 snaps netted 16 yards.
I don’t know, maybe I’m just frustrated, but I expected a heck of a lot more than this. It’s not all about execution. It’s also about players and coaching and decision-making, and — not unlike I’ve felt after other matchups with the Rams in recent seasons — the Saints were on the losing end of all those things.
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A FEW MORE
Alontae Taylor had some nice moments in this game, but he continued to be victimized by Sean McVay’s scheme. It appeared he dropped the coverage on TE Tyler Higbee for the Rams’ first touchdown of the game and there were several frustrating moments in coverage. I do think he’s come a long way mentally and will bounce back, but this definitely wasn’t a banner performance for a player in a contract year. … I’ll have to go back and look but this looked like a particularly rough day for the Saints tackles. Taliese Fuaga was beat multiple times and went out with what looked like a pretty significant ankle injury in the 4th quarter. Feels likely that this team will be relying on Asim Richards in that spot, but we’ll have to wait and see.
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STOCK UP
2-minute Shough
There’s plenty of bad to go around and this was anything but a perfect showing for the rookie QB, but I do think there were enough positives that I’ll come away feeling like it could’ve gone worse.
The Rams are one of the top pressure teams in the NFL. That was very clear on the first three Saints drives and three Saints three and outs. When the offense was able to get uptempo things started to get untracked, and what I did appreciate was that even as he was under fire the rookie still looked under control (with a few execeptions). With less than a minute to go in the first half and needing something positive after a missed Rams field goal, Shough led a 6-play, 59-yard touchdown drive that featured some really nice moments, notably a long gain on a scramble drill to Chris Olave — an area the Saints simply haven’t succeeded to this point in the season.
The Saints got the benefit of a roughing call after a massive hit to the QB, which he shook off and a few plays later found Juwan Johnson over the middle, with the tight end turning upfield for a touchdown and the only real bright spot for the Saints offense on the day. Juwan was the third progression on the play, and the throw as Shough slid to the left showcased the accuracy that stood out during camp. A perfect ball that the TE corrals easily allows him to score. If the ball is off-target and Juwan has to battle for the catch, who knows what happens. Location is an important element that too often can be ignored as long as the catch is made.
That moment brought he Saints within 10 at halftime after being thoroughly dominated. There was positivity that didn’t last, but it still existed.
Shough finished 15-26 for 176 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT on the day. There wasn't much action down the field and it appeared he had Taysom Hill open on the 4th down interception but didn't spot it in time.
There’s a lot more growth I need to see, but so many NFL games come down to executing in those 2-minute scenarios, so I’ll take the positivity I can out of this one and move forward with that.
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Special teams
There was a point in this season when it felt like special teams was the weakest phase for the Saints. That’s quietly changed the past few weeks, even if it’s happened during one of the more frustrating three-game stretches that even the most jaded Saints fan will be able to recall.
Over the first month of the season the Saints were among the worst in the NFL in both return yardage allowed and average drive start. Well, in this game they opted to put Rashid Shaheed and Taysom Hill back on kickoffs and the Rams, one of the best kickoff coverage teams in the NFL, responded by putting the ball into the end zone for touchbacks on all their kickoffs after a long Shaheed kickoff return to open the game.
The Saints’ drives in this game started at:
- NO 30
- NO 35
- NO 4
- NO 35
- NO 35
- NO 29
- NO 35
- NO 35
- NO 49
That's an average starting field position of the 32 yard line, even with a perfect punt from the Rams baked in that forced the Saints to start a drive from inside their 5 yard line.
Meanwhile the Rams had five drives start from their own 20 yard line or closer.
Kai Kroeger has also continued to punt (mostly) well, here are his kicks:
- From NO 39: 49 yards to LA 12. No return (49 net)
- From NO 29: 40 yards to LA 31. 11 yard return (29 net)
- From NO 13: 49 yards to LA 38. No return (49 net)
- From NO 38: 46 yards to LA 16. No return (46 net)
He needs to eliminate that one shank put he seems to be good for every game, but the other three are exactly what you want. He’s settling in.
Blake Grupe hit his lone field goal attempt from 39 yards out, and he’s made 6 of 7 kicks (85.7%) over the past month, with the lone miss a 53-yard attempt on a windy day out in Chicago.
Oh, and the Saints had a successful rush that didn’t result in a block but definitely affected Josh Karty’s miss late in the first half.
Again, I don’t want to oversell positivity about special teams doing their jobs, but I was hyper critical of this group when they were struggling, so I have to give it equal attention for turning things around. Phil Galiano’s group is playing well.
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Chase Young’s impact
I hesitate to give anyone on defense much of a positive review after a game where they were run ragged in virtually all phases, but Chase Young continues to make an impact to justify the contract.
He’s now logged a sack in three straight games, the first time in his career that’s happened. He has the ability to tilt the field in key moments, and I can’t blame him for the coverage woes that plague this team way too often. Just for perspective, his sack at the end of the first quarter set up a 2nd and 18 … good situation, right? Well, Stafford immediately found Nacua for a 15-yard gain that wiped out the big play, and the Rams drive continued from there after a ho-him third down conversion.
The Saints defense was gassed late in the game because they couldn’t get off the field. I feel like Chase Young is one of the few things that’s been working consistently for this defense.
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HONORABLE MENTION
Say what you want about Brandin Cooks, he’s delivered when he’s gotten opportunities. He’s got a clear connection with Shough and early in this game he seems like the only option to move the ball. He finished the game with only 2 catches for 16 yards, but I can’t help but feel like he’s got more to offer if this offense can ever sustain drives. … Jonah Williams made his presence felt today with a sack, a QB hit and two TFLs. Nice work from him. … Rashid Shaheed bounced back from a tough day against the Bucs with 5 catches for 68 yards and, most importantly, he ddn’t put the ball on the ground. He still feels like the most likely player to be moved at the trade deadline, but we’ll have to wait and see. The Saints putting him back there in this game felt a bit like they were reminding teams that he could be an elite asset in that part of the game if any team did come calling for him.