What We Learned From the Saints In Week 12
ATLANTA -- Sunday's loss to the Falcons saw the Saints give their division lead away and also raised a lot more questions for Dennis Allen and company. The hope was that this team would come out of their bye week reenergized and rejuvenated to execute and play complementary football. That didn't happen in Week 12. Here's a lot of things we learned from New Orleans in their 24-15 loss.
What We Learned From the Saints In Week 12
Nov 26, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill (7) fumbles when hit by Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (3) during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
THE RED ZONE CONTINUES TO PLAGUE THIS TEAM
Going 0/5 in the red zone is really the biggest eyesore on the day. The two turnovers obviously didn't help, with Jessie Bates making a great play on the ball for a pick-six, while Taysom Hill was stripped inside the 10. Early on, A.T. Perry thought he had a false start, which is why that play looked the way it did. New Orleans believes they're moving the ball well, and they honestly are in most aspects, but for whatever reason the red zone continues to be their kryptonite.
THE RUN DEFENSE DIDN'T FIGURE IT OUT
Tyrann Mathieu said after the game that the team is not executing, and it's clear as day with the way the Falcons carved up the Saints run defense. It didn't matter who ran the ball either, they all found success on the day. All of the Falcons runners averaged 4.3 yards/carry or better, with Ridder being the worst in the group, which is a compliment. Atlanta's running backs: Bijan Robinson (5.7), Tyler Allgeier (6.4), Cordarelle Patterson (5.4). This is extremely concerning 11 games into the year, and New Orleans has Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery up next.
THE INJURY REPORT IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE A CVS RECEIPT
Chris Olave is in the concussion protocol, while Rashid Shaheed (thigh) got hurt on the opening drive according to Dennis Allen. Their undoubtedly going to be on the injury report this week, but this game saw a lot more players go out at one point or another. That list includes: Lynn Bowden, Juwan Johnson, Alontae Taylor, Erik McCoy, Cam Jordan, and Jamaal Williams. It's been a while since I've seen that many players get hurt in a game. Ryan Ramczyk's issue was with his shoe.
EITHER WAY, TIME IS RUNNING OUT
There's six games left in the season. Whether you see that as a bad thing or good thing, this team is down to their final out and strike, and their backs are against the wall. The team has the 12th pick in the draft right now, for those who are keeping score at home. The team and players still believe they can finish this thing off. Derek Carr cited being on a team that won their final five games of the season and made it into the postseason. It sounds like they're hoping for that to happen in New Orleans, and they're going to keep working on things until they can't. Again, anything less than the postseason should prompt some major shakeups.
I'd also like to say that Chris Olave, Alvin Kamara, and Blake Grupe (despite the final miss) were probably the best players on the field for the Saints today. Those Tyrann Mathieu picks were also clutch, to say the least.
