Saints Stock Down: Patience Wearing Thin With Kellen Moore After Falcons Rout

The New Orleans Saints entered the 2026 season hoping to show signs of progress under second-year head coach Kellen Moore.

Instead, four games into the season, it’s Groundhog Day every Sunday as some of the same problems that have plagued the franchise in recent years keep happening

Sign up for the daily Saints Newsletter by clicking here.

Monday night's 45-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons showcased much of those concerns, from a struggling secondary that continues to surrender explosive plays to a coaching staff facing mounting questions about the team's preparation and discipline.

At 1-3, New Orleans has little room for error as it prepares to face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5. While injuries have certainly contributed to the Saints' struggles, they cannot explain everything that went wrong against their biggest rival.

Here are two names and position groups whose stock continues to fall following New Orleans' embarrassing loss to Atlanta.

Secondary Has Become a Major Concern

Preseason anxieties surrounding the Saints' secondary have quickly materialized into full-blown vulnerabilities through the first month of action.

Despite harboring individual talent, New Orleans’ defensive backfield remains a frequent target for opposing big plays, undone by costly penalties, poor tackling, and blown coverages. Atlanta exploited these flaws systematically, as Michael Penix Jr. shredded the unit for 223 yards and a touchdown on a lean 20 attempts—averaging a staggering 11.2 yards per pass attempt with a 70% completion rate despite a run-heavy game plan.

These struggles represent systemic operational failures across the entire defensive backfield rather than an isolated bad performance.

Cornerbacks Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley both suffered miserable games. Pro Football Focus (PFF) charged Riley with four receptions allowed on four targets for 58 yards and a touchdown, while McKinstry gave up 60 yards on two completions alongside two yellow flags—earning bottom-tier coverage grades of 28.0 and 29.5, respectively. On the year, McKinstry has yielded 13 catches on 22 targets for 209 yards and four first downs, whereas Riley has surrendered three touchdowns and 142 yards on just 21 targets.

Safety play has provided little cover. Rookie Jonas Sanker has allowed 17 completions on 19 targets for 161 yards and a touchdown, while veteran Justin Reid has allowed 13 catches on 15 targets for 111 yards and a score, with neither safety recording a single forced incompletion on the season.

Altogether, primary defensive backs McKinstry, Riley, Sanker, Reid, and Julian Blackmon have surrendered 57 completions on 79 targets for 657 yards, seven touchdowns, and only one interception, allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 70.1% of their passes with virtually no ball disruption.

Kellen Moore

Head coach Kellen Moore is treading dangerously close to alienating the fan base as public faith rapidly erodes.

The disastrous 45-24 blowout by Atlanta represented far more than a typical early-season setback for the 1-3 squad. Getting thoroughly outclassed on home turf during the high-profile 20th-anniversary celebration of Domecoming turned the Caesars Superdome into a cauldron of intense frustration.

Supporters are generally willing to endure the growing pains, mistakes, and developmental hurdles of a rebuilding squad. Who Dat Nation would readily forgive a hard-fought defeat, particularly considering the significant injury toll heading into the matchup.

However, what remains intolerable is watching a team consistently display a lack of preparation, discipline, and competitive energy.

This failure in basic execution directly highlights the core issue facing Moore.

Brought in to revitalize an organization suffering from years of mediocrity, Moore has instead overseen a continuation of the same troubling patterns.

While a four-game sample size should not define a head coach's tenure—especially given current roster limitations—goodwill will evaporate rapidly if non-competitive outings persist. Failing on a nationally televised night specifically designed to honor one of the franchise's most iconic historic achievements only amplifies the backlash.

The humiliation won't be forgotten anytime soon, as evidenced by the furious outrage overflowing across social media.

At this stage, Saints fans aren't expecting miracles; they simply demand tangible proof of progress and direction.

Unfortunately, Monday's performance offered almost none.

Saints Mailbag

Wednesdays, On SI Saints will answer your questions about what we see from our vantage point. To submit your thoughts or inquiries click here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google