It was tough to sit and watch the New Orleans Saints collapse on Sunday. That’s been the case for many Sundays this season — but especially for an emotional rivalry game against a division rival. That the Atlanta Falcons came out of this game sitting on top of the NFC South standings is only more disappointing.
How did we get here? Let’s break it down by asking and answering three questions:
What went right?
What went wrong?
And what’s the bottom line?
What went right?
The Saints’ secondary played hard despite being a bit shorthanded; top cornerback Marshon Lattimore went on injured reserve before the game and slot corner Alontae Taylor missed some time with a non-contact leg injury, but he was able to return for the second half. Tyrann Mathieu intercepted two passes at key moments and the Falcons offense managed just three passing plays of 20-plus yards.
Offensively, New Orleans moved the ball well. Four different players had catches of 20-plus yards and wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. picked up 29 yards on an end-around run. They were effective in the open field in keeping the Falcons defense cautious and picking up first downs. Problems emerged when they got in scoring position and the margin for error narrowed.
Rookie kicker Blake Grupe deserves a shoutout for kicking well for most of the afternoon. He was responsible for all 15 points the Saints put on the board while connecting on field goals from a variety of distances on both hashes. It’s a shame he couldn’t punch in his last field goal try, but this game would have been even more lopsided had he not performed well earlier in the day.
What went wrong?
Where to begin? Dennis Allen was promoted as head coach because he built an excellent defense that could rush the passer and stop the run. The Saints did neither of those things well on Sunday. Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder was never sacked and only rarely touched by the pass rush. Atlanta ran for 228 yards as a team and all four players to log a rushing attempt averaged 4.3 or more yards per carry. New Orleans was bullied at the line of scrimmage.
It’s time to question Derek Carr’s ability to lead offense. The Saints reached the red zone five times and weren’t able to come away with a single touchdown, and that’s part of a trend for them this season. Carr threw an awful interception that was returned for a lead-stealing defensive touchdown; miscues with his receiving corps also led to mistakes and missed opportunities, but that shouldn’t be happening in late November.
Carr is a veteran quarterback and the responsibility is on him to get his inexperienced teammates up to speed. He must be more proactive and put in more time with them to resolve this. He should’ve done that months ago.
And what's the bottom line?
The Saints are a bad football team. They were beaten at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, where they’ve poured more resources in draft picks and salary cap space than any other position group, and they’re undisciplined with more penalties (6) and penalty yards given up (50) than Atlanta (5 fouls for 35 yards). There isn’t much they do well that they can point to as a strength which sets them apart from their peers.
And they would be on the outside looking in if the playoffs started today. The Saints have a losing record after Week 12. Dennis Allen’s team reflects his 20-44 record as a head coach in the NFL. They’ve been exposed after two harsh losses to the Falcons and Minnesota Vikings and they don’t look good in the light. Six games might not be enough time to correct their flaws.
