Monday night’s matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers started out looking like a huge victory for head coach Dennis Allen and the Saints. But things took a turn when Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady got the ball in his hands with 5:21 left in the game. Brady, who had thrown for only 163 passing yards and no passing touchdowns through the first 54 minutes and 39 seconds of action, then totaled 118 yards and two touchdowns through the air to give the Bucs a 17-16 lead and win.
It is hard to see this game for its entirety in hindsight, especially after such a brutal collapse. But even with an eye toward the holistic view of the game, it is still hard to be positive about much of it. Here is our report card for all three phases of the game and coaching in Monday’s loss.
Offense: D
Despite a solid performance from quarterback Andy Dalton, the Saints offense came up short time and time again. Drops by rookie wide receiver Chris Olave, veteran wideout Jarvis Landry and offensive weapon Taysom Hill each proved detrimental. But so too did some playcalling on the offensive side of the ball as well. The team’s best playmakers being on the sideline as Dalton takes a 2nd and 7 sack late in the game. Running back Mark Ingram running out of bounds to preserve himself as a leg injury lingered while start back Alvin Kamara stands on the sideline. There were several examples of perplexing decision being made that negatively impacted the offense.
Above all though, going 0/3 in the red zone and settling for three field goals as opposed to punching the ball into the endzone proved most costly. Had one of those possessions ended in pay dirt, the tune of this game, even with Brady’s heroics, would have been completely different. Execution in scoring distance has been a consistent issue for New Orleans and Monday proved that strides still have not been made.
Defense: C
Holding Brady to just 163 passing yards through more than 90% of this contest is impressive if you forget about the final 10 or so percent. Unfortunately, the two touchdown drives left up in the final 5 minutes and 21 seconds cannot be erased as they led to what can be described as nothing short of a meltdown. The offense had its contributions to failed closeout, but the defense certainly had its complications as well. Letting up 14 points in those final minutes is without a doubt bad, but when you take into consideration that this was supposed to be a defensively-led team with a defense0minded head coach, the result becomes all the more disappointing. We’ll give the defense some credit for the outstanding majority, but one must heavily weight the the closing minutes.
Special Teams: A
Wide receiver and return specialist Rashid Shaheed had a great night in Tampa. He caught all four of his targets for a career-high 75 receiving yards while also adding another 89 in the return game including a big 42-yard punt return. Shaheed’s role continues to grow on offense, but his special teams ability only strengthens with each game as well. Kicker Wil Lutz was 3/3 in his field goal attempts, which was important considering the offense’s inability to score in the red area. Punter Blake Gillikin could have gotten more out of one of his final punts that gave Brady and the Buccaneers possession on their own 37, but considering the defense’s struggles that can not be fully put on the former Nittany Lion. All-in-all it is hard to ding the special teams unit that put together a solid performance.
Coaching: F
Not even a positive special teams output could save the coaching grade. Honestly, the defensive coaching stuff could help to raise this grade a bit too based on the majority of their night. But the offensive play calling and coaching was just so questionable Monday night that it is hard to cut any slack here. 12 men in the huddle, playmakers off the field in the biggest moments, throwing a slant on a pivotal third and 1, bypassing the chance to go for it on the subsequent 4th and 1… there were simply too many mistakes and examples of bad decision-making to ignore here.
