Saints Mid-Season Grades: Offense
With a 17-game regular season now, there is no true halfway point for NFL teams. However, the New Orleans Saints have played nine games with nine weeks to go in the regular season including a bye week.
The Saints will enter the second half of the year with an offense much different than the one that started 2022. Injuries have taken wideouts Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry out of the lineup, as well as putting QB Jameis Winston on the sideline in favor of 35-year-old Andy Dalton.
2022 Saints Offensive Statistics
- 23.6 points per game (11th)
- 377.6 total yards (6th)
- 246.7 passing yards (7th)
- 130.9 rushing yards (12th)
- 19 sacks
- 17 turnovers (30th)
- 42.2% 3rd Down Percentage (12th)
With eight games remaining, the Saints News Network crew gives you our mid-season grades for the New Orleans offense.
Brendan Boylan
New Orleans Saints quarterback Andy Dalton (14) throws the ball against the Minnesota Vikings. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports
Honestly, this could be a much lower grade due to the inconsistency the New Orleans Saints offense has show in 2022. However, grace must be given for the multitude of injuries this team has faced.
Between losing your starting quarterback, both starting wideouts, and even Alvin Kamara for a contest I am surprised they have produced as well as the have yards-wise (Top-10 in the NFL).
The Saints are disjointed and it is obvious in their play from week-to-week. Andy Dalton has done a decent job at quarterback and has proven to be worth the $3M the team invested in him as their back up. But with the missing pieces around him and questionable play-calling, the Saints haven’t won games based on the offense. Unfortunately for Saints fans, I don’t see the offense turning around and they will likely end the year with a similar grade from me.
Offensive Grade = C+
John Hendrix
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) catches the ball as Carolina Panthers cornerback CJ Henderson (24) defends. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
It's one thing to start slow, but to continually repeat the same mistakes and be ineffective is another. It's not about who played quarterback or who was and wasn't out there. It's all about execution, and the Saints offense didn't start to do that until several games into their season.
Yes, the offensive line did pick things up and started forming an identity with a run game. However, it's still mind boggling how many opportunities have been missed. There are bright spots like Chris Olave and others, but that doesn't outshine how the group has collectively been a mess and is a reason why this team is struggling.
Offensive Grade = C-
Kyle T. Mosley
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs the ball against the Arizona Cardinals. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
At the midway point of 2022, the everso-bad NFC South gives hope for a New Orleans Saints (3-6) team who is one game out of first place in the division.
Jameis Winston may not be the only one painfully watching an underachieving New Orleans offense under the management of Pete Carmichael. Andy Dalton's 2-4 record hasn't swayed Dennis Allen to course-correct the offensive strategy.
Kamara, Hill, and Olave must be incorporated more into the offensive game plan to pick up wins during the final stretch. Still, the Saints are No. 6 in 377.6 yards per game and No. 11 in 23.6 points per game. Olave has been fantastic and is proving his candidacy for Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate.
The New Orleans offensive line will get a boost when rookie Trevor Penning returns.
Offensive Grade = C-
Bob Rose
New Orleans Saints offensive linemen James Hurst (74) and Andrus Peat (75) block for Taysom Hill (7) against the Cincinnati Bengals. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Neither Winston or Dalton have played well enough to make anyone believe that they're the team’s quarterback answer for 2023. The fact is, this entire unit bumbled its way through the first month of the year with turnovers, penalties, and poor execution.
Before a major setback against Baltimore, the offensive line had been playing well after a putrid start. Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill have been spectacular at times, torturing defenses with their all-purpose abilities.
First-round WR Chris Olave looks like a potential superstar, but the rest of the receiving corps has been a mess without Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry. Veteran offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael has been unimaginative, timid, and predictable with his game plans and play-calling.
This unit has shown glimmers of success over the first half when they can avoid self-inflicted mistakes. Simply put, they'll have to be bullies up front and rely heavily on Kamara, Olave, and Hill with some imagination down the stretch of the year.
