The New Orleans Saints were tossed around the yard once again, this time allowing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to do whatever they wanted on both ends of the ball. Four straight losses and zero answers for this squad leave many fans wondering what the next course of action will be. Some already believe that the team has simply quit under head coach Dennis Allen, so let’s take a look at what the numbers tell us.
Saints Were Given Hope Due To Spencer Rattler
The most notable thing for the Saints was that quarterback Derek Carr wasn’t playing. Because of that, rookie fifth-round draft pick Spencer Rattler stepped into the starting role. After watching that game, I can say with certainty that he has a future in the NFL. He completed only 22 of his 40 pass attempts for 243 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions, but the numbers don’t show the full story there. In the first half, he helped the team stay in the game and delivered multiple timely throws with a couple of drops from his receivers. The second half saw things unravel for him. The difference was that Tampa Bay threw blitz after blitz at this offensive line that was missing three starters, and they all worked. Rattler had very little time in the pocket, and it caused a ton of incompletions and a few turnovers. Besides that, Rattler looked like he could be the guy for New Orleans.
Outside of Rattler, there wasn’t much else to say about the Saints offense. Alvin Kamara was bottled up with very little room to run. Kendre Miller was once again absent from the field, and Chris Olave got hurt on the first drive, not returning with a concussion. The only true positive from the offense aside from Rattler was Bub Means, the rookie wideout who had five receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown. As for everyone else, it was just a poor show that continued to drive home the fact that this team doesn’t have much firepower offensively.
Defense Took The Day Off
Now let’s get into the main issue that we saw in this game, which was defense. I don’t exactly know what happened, but this team just could not tackle whatsoever. They weren’t getting home on pressure, they weren’t defending the pass well early, they could not stop the run game even if their lives depended on it, and they absolutely refused to wrap up players after the catch. I think all of that speaks for how they played today. Baker Mayfield threw 325 yards and four touchdowns, though he did have three interceptions that kept them in the game. It’s just unfortunate that Tampa Bay had nearly 600 yards of total offense to negate those turnovers. How did they accomplish that with Baker throwing for 325? Well, even without Rachaad White, the Bucs dominated the run game. Sean Tucker took 14 carries and turned them into 136 yards and a touchdown, while Bucky Irving had 14 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown. The Buccaneers were averaging over six yards per carry the whole night. You can’t let that happen. Much of that was due to poor tackling, as that reared its ugly head numerous times to give Tampa Bay chunk plays down the field.
Coaching Is A Problem That Can’t Be Ignored
As a Saints fan, looking at how this defense performed, I’m thinking about a coaching change. Despite all of this talent, it appears that this team quit on the coaching staff. This is never a conversation that you would like to have, but this was a talking point all offseason. Dennis Allen just hasn’t gotten the job done since he became the team’s head coach. They haven’t made the postseason, they haven’t won many close games, the defense continues to randomly crumble when they need them, and overall, the players look dejected. I mean, just think back to how Jameis Winston ran the scorer up against the Atlanta Falcons by changing the play call and getting Jamaal Williams a touchdown. Everybody on that roster was super excited about how they ended the season, and Allen came out and denounced the move from Winston, much to the dismay of all fans of the team. Since then, you can just see it on the players’ faces that they don’t believe in what this franchise is trying to put together. They don’t believe in the head coach, and that’s a massive factor in how they’re playing. Plus, we’ve seen other coaches get fired for a lot less, and Allen has had multiple seasons to put something together and nothing has changed.
What’s Next?
The Buccaneers played a great game of football on both ends of the field today. Credit where credit is due, they deserved to win today. However, if you were a Saints fan this week, then all the attention is directed at Allen and his coaching status. Rattler played well enough for the fans to hope that he could be the future of the team, the defense didn’t show up again, and the offense lacked weapons. Those were the takeaways. Just an overall disappointing afternoon and four straight losses just show where this team is heading right now, toward a high-end draft pick. To make matters worse (or possibly better), the Saints have to play on Thursday night against the Denver Broncos and their former coach Sean Payton. It could even be a poetic end for Dennis Allen because if the Saints lose to Payton on prime time, that fifth consecutive loss could be the last straw for Allen and cost him his job. Something has to change because right now this team looks miserable.