The New Orleans Saints are in Paris ahead of next Sunday's game against Pittsburgh. Despite their 34-27 win over the New York Giants on Sunday, one Saints analyst says the team has much to fix over the next six days.
"Too many penalties." Saints radio analyst Deuce McAllister said, noting that the Saints committed too many holds and presnap fouls, penalties that killed drives by creating long-yardage scenarios.
McAllister also said the Saints' late-game situational awareness was lacking.
"If we are able to get two first downs here, we're able to take off not just a minute or two of the clock, you force them to use all of their timeouts," McAllister said.
McAllister impressed by the Saints' running game, which notched 175 yards on the ground against the Giants. McAllister says if the Saints want to beat Pittsburgh--or any of their other remaining opponents--they'll need to keep running the football effectively.
"I think that was one of the critical moments," McAllister said. "When you say how you were victorious, there it is. You were able to run the football, and you did a really, really good job of doing so."
Still, McAllister says the offensive line needs to be more dominant so it can create more lanes for the Saints rushers.
"We're running it right here, and you can't stop it: that's where they have to be able to grow and develop," McAllister said.
Most importantly, McAllister says the Saints can't allow themselves to give up another big lead like they did against the Raiders and the Giants.
"You've got to close games out," McAllister said.
