The New Orleans Saints have played like one of the best teams in the league, yet they are sitting at a 2-2 record a quarter of the way into the season. They have the most points scored in the NFL, and have only allowed four offensive touchdowns in the process. Looking at those stats make it hard to believe that they’ve lost two games, but that’s the reality for the Saints. This is looking like a game they have to overcome expectations in against the Kansas City Chiefs, otherwise they’ll fall below .500. And this team is far too good to be under .500.
Keys To Success
Starting with the Saints, the recipe is quite easy. Keep Derek Carr protected in the pocket, establish a run game, and control how many times Patrick Mahomes scrambles around. Carr standing upright drastically changes how the offense looks, so getting him into an early rhythm against the Chiefs secondary could be huge. As for the run game, that needs to get going. We know Alvin Kamara is going to get a ton of touches, but we also need Kendre Miller or Jamaal Williams on the field to take some of the blows also.
This Chiefs defensive line isn’t a joke, they’re one of the better units in the league, so the run game needs to show up, and not just Kamara. Finally, the last major point is to stop Mahomes and keep him contained in the pocket. New Orleans has trouble, just like any other team, when the quarterback extends plays with his legs. The Saints can’t let the best quarterback in the league do that.
Saints Are Banged Up Again
When it comes to the injury report, the Saints are once again the more banged up team. In positive news first, we should be seeing Demario Davis, Taliese Fuaga, Alvin Kamara, Bryan Bresee, Kendre Miller, Chris Olave, and Tyrann Mathieu on the field again. The downside is that we aren’t anticipated to get Willie Gay, Taysom Hill, Cesar Ruiz, or Payton Turner for this matchup. Taysom is massive due to how effective the team is with him involved in the drive compared to when he’s not involved. As for the Chiefs. They didn’t have anybody that missed practice at all this week aside from Mecole Hardman. New Orleans is banged up, though they need to be ready for the Chiefs on Monday night regardless.
The Fan Perspective
On a personal level, I feel as though this might be the best chance the Saints have at making a statement early on in the season. It is a prime-time matchup against the undefeated reigning champs. If New Orleans can go in on the road and beat this Chiefs team, who has looked very beatable all season, then we could be seeing this group get talked about very differently. Even if the game just ends up being competitive the entire way and the team loses by a score, at least they could prove that they’ll remain competitive against anybody. The only thing they can’t do is go into this matchup and lose by double digits. Not when they’re already on a two-game losing streak. I think the Saints can win this game, though this is a prove-it matchup even for the fans.