The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly in Saints' 45-24 Clobbering at the Hands of the Falcons

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In a game that sideways early, the Saints couldn't stop Atlanta's run game and could never get its own going in a 45-24 shellacking at the hands of the Falcons.

The Good

Quarterback Tyler Shough

Saints great Archie Manning comes to mind when we think of what Tyler Shough went through Monday night. Manning rarely had enough time to throw the ball while with the Saints. In Archie's rookie year, 1971, he was sacked 40 times. Not to be outdone, four years later he was sacked 49 times, a career high for the Saints Hall of Famer. To say the Saints offensive line was a sieve in those days would be a complement.

If Kellen Moore can get his team's running game going (more on that later), Shough could make it through the entire season without getting hurt. NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman came away from the game impressed by the 2nd year man out of Louisville. Truth is that Shough carried this team on his shoulders throughout this game. In fact, he has carried them in all four games the Saints have played this year.

The Bad

Deferring to the Second Half

Far be it from us to second guess a coaching decision, but your defense is thin in the front seven. You are missing tons of people and your linebacking corps is not up to snuff. You win the toss. Why put your walking wounded of a defense out there first? This is not second-guessing after the game is over. We questioned it immediately when the Saints won the coin flip.

The crowd is going bananas because of the 20th anniversary of the reopening of the Superdome after Katrina. Your team wins the toss. You send out the guy we mentioned earlier onto the field to set the tone. Instead, the opposition scores in three plays and sets the tone in the other direction.

The Ugly

Something Was Missing

This is the most important game in the Kellen Moore era. The Saints are back in the Dome, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Domecoming game against the same team that was here two decades ago. There should be flames shooting out of helmets. There should be craziness on the sidelines. There should be helmets flying off the opponents heads.

There was talk this past week from Saints personnel about the importance of this game and what it means to the city. It didn't happen that way. Saints fans didn't get what they deserved. Saints coaches and players should be ashamed.

Saints Rushing Game

Fifty yards. That's the extent of the Saints rushing attack against the Falcons. Things seemed to be improving over the first three games. Then, with newly acquired star runner Travis Etienne Jr going down with a hammie against the Raiders, the Saints put their rushing attack in the hands of 10-year veteran Alvin Kamara and fourth year back Kendre Miller. Kamara did get a pair of touchdown runs amongst his 7-carries and 23-yards.

Saints RB Alvin Kamara — Oct 5, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs against Atlanta Falcons defensive back Sydney Brown (29) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Second man on the yardage totem pole was rookie free agent CJ Donaldson with 3-totes for 18-yards. Miller ran the ball 6-times for nine yards and lost a fumble for the second consecutive game.

This running game is not working. Something must be done now, or your young quarterback is going to age very quickly.

Saints Defense, Back to Front

With all the injuries, to put too much blame on this half of the team is not completely fair. However, something must be done about giving up play after play in chunks.

While Atlanta defenders were draped over Saints receivers, there continue to be widening gaps in the Saints defensive secondary that are worrying. Too many times this season there has been far too wide of a gap between receiver and defender. While Saints receivers are making contested catches, opponents are finding way too many openings in what has become a porous secondary.

The front side of the Saints defense is still having issues with the run game. Though injuries were a plenty this weekend, this lack of defending the run is something that has plagued this defense since the first week of the season.

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