This picture sums up how Sunday’s game went.
It was quite a depressing day for those rooting for the black and gold. The New Orleans Saints were dominated in the first half of today’s game and couldn’t recover, eventually losing to the St. Louis Rams by the score of 27-16. Honestly, it was not as close as that score even looks. Two early interceptions, offensive inefficiency, and poor effort were just a few of the problems leading to the bad loss. The hits kept coming even after the clock hit 00:00, when Sean Payton insinuated towards a locker room searching for leadership. That’s certainly not something you’d like to hear heading in to a Week 16 match-up for the division title and the #2 seed in the NFC.
For the first four minutes of the game, things were going how the Saints wanted them to. After kicking off to start the game, they forced a Rams punt to set up their first possession. On the first offensive play from scrimmage, Drew Brees threw an interception to T.J. McDonald, setting up St. Louis at the New Orleans 31 yard line. It only took one play after that for the Rams to find the end zone, when Kellen Clemons hit third string tight-end Cory Harkey on a short out pass. Harkey then turned up the sideline, breaking three pitiful attempts to take him down or push him out of bounds, racing all the way in to the end-zone. Malcolm Jenkins, Corey White, and Keenan Lewis all had great opportunities to knock him out of bounds, but failed.
Obviously, that was the worst possible way the game could have started for the Saints, but I do not believe it’s where the game was already over. On the ensuing Saints possession, Brees led New Orleans right down the field with relative ease. He marched his offense 70 yards in just seven plays. On a 2nd and goal, Brees rolled to his right and threw a very weak, floating pass in to double coverage for Jimmy Graham. The pass hung in the air so long, that Trumaine Johnson had time to leave his coverage around the 4 yard line and make the interception near the goal-line. The Rams then drove 93 yards with the help of 30 yards on personal fouls, taking a 14-0 lead and essentially sealing the Saints’ fate in the first quarter.
New Orleans responded with a field goal, but then had their last two possessions of the first half end with a three and out and a blocked field goal. The blocked field goal came after a meticulous 14 play 62 yard drive that got the Saints inside of the Rams 10 yard line. St. Louis had already added another 10 points to their lead, so it was crucial for the Saints to get in the end-zone before the half, facing a 24-3 deficit. It appeared as if they had done so, but Charles Brown was called for an illegal hands to the face penalty while in a desperate attempt to keep Robert Quinn out of the backfield. After an incomplete pass on the third down play after the penalty, Garrett Hartley came on for a 36 yard field goal. A chip shot, as many refer to any kick under 40 yards. The field goal was tipped at the line and fell short, sending St. Louis in to the locker room with even more momentum.
New Orleans received the ball to start the second half, but after allowing a sack-fumble on Brees on the opening possession, any hopes of a second half comeback were shot, despite the defense only allowing 78 second half yards and 3 points to the Rams. The Saints scored two late touchdowns to make the score look respectable, but it certainly was not.
Observations
Boy, oh boy, where do I start…
– Although the Saints defense struggled, this game was lost by Sean Payton and the offense. There was no creativity, zero effort, and the Rams had an answer for anything the Saints tried.
– With each game that passes this year, it becomes more and more apparent to me that the Saints need a play-making wide receiver. If you go back and look at offensive film from 2009 or 2011, Brees was finding wide open receivers every game. This season, it seems as if every pass he throws is in to coverage. New Orleans needs a receiver that can get themselves open. It doesn’t have to be someone that has blazing speed or a 6’6″ guy who can just out jump every one. They need a great route runner. Look at guys like Wes Welker, Victor Cruz, Antonio Brown, and Steve Smith. Sure, each of them has good speed, but the majority of their catches are made with at least a yard of separation. Why? Because they are great route runners. They are quick, have great first steps off of the line, and go in and out of their routes with silky smooth cuts. The Saints don’t have that type of guy. Lance Moore used to fit in with those names, but he looks to have lost a step or two. Not even Jimmy Graham can be considered a guy that gets himself open. His dominance is usually making tough catches and fighting through defenders. Kenny Stills is about as close to the type of player I’m talking about, but he’s still got a lot of polishing to do. I’ll address this more in the off-season, but getting a play-making receiver in the first couple rounds of the draft next year should be a priority.
– For as elite of a quarterback that Drew Brees is, it surely seems like he leaves everyone scratching their heads with his decision making sometimes. He did so a few times again today and paid for it. The two first quarter interceptions proved to be too much for the Saints to recover from.
– After coming in to today’s game tied for the second most sacks in the league, New Orleans couldn’t get to Kellen Clemons one time. When you’re struggling to stop the run, it’s essential to be able to create a pass rush on the obvious passing plays and the Saints simply couldn’t do that, allowing Clemons to make multiple big throws to convert third downs.
– After a great stretch for Mark Ingram after he returned from his toe injury, the Saints have seemed to get away from him a good bit. He had only one carry today. You can’t even chalk it up to the large deficit, either, because in last week’s blowout win, he was given only three carries.
– The Saints have been on the plus side of the turnover margin for the majority of the season, but are now back at even after the three turnover day. One of, if not the biggest, keys to winning in this league is winning the turnover battle. Today is a perfect example of just how turnovers can take away any shot of winning. New Orleans allowed just 158 yards passing and 302 total yards (less than their NFL 6th best defensive average), while gaining 432 yards of offense (more than their NFL 6th best offensive average), but were absolutely dominated on the scoreboard.
– Again, I’ll talk more about draft prospects in the off-season, but along with a play-maker, the Saints badly need offensive line help. Whether it be through the draft or free agency, they need help. Charles Brown, Brian de la Puente, and Zach Strief have been pretty bad this year, but Brown was especially horrible today. He played so poorly, that Coach Sean Payton chose to replace him with his right tackle (Strief), who’s been beat numerous times this season. To me, everything but the guard positions have to be replaced. Rookie Terron Armstead was drafted this season to be an eventual starter, so he should hopefully fill one of the tackle spots, but General Manager Mickey Loomis has some work to do.
Stats
Saints
Drew Brees – 39-56 / 393 yards / 2 TDs (1 rushing) / 2 INTs / 1 fumble
Darren Sproles – 7 carries / 24 yards / 8 receptions / 38 yards
Pierre Thomas – 8 carries / 21 yards / 7 receptions / 62 yards
Marques Colston – 8 receptions / 92 yards / 1 TD
Jimmy Graham – 2 receptions / 25 yards
David Hawthorne – 10 tackles / 1 tackle for loss
Rams
Kellen Clemons – 14-20 / 158 yards / 2 TDs / 0 INTs
Zach Stacy – 28 carries / 133 yards / 1 TD
Cory Harkey – 3 receptions / 29 yards / 1 TD
Lance Kendricks – 2 receptions / 13 yards / 1 TD
Robert Quinn – 5 tackles / 2 sacks / 1 fumble recovery
Next Week
The 10-4 Saints will travel to Carolina to face the 10-4 Panthers in a battle that will almost surely crown the NFC South champion. If New Orleans wins, they win the division and guarantee a first round bye. If Carolina wins, they can win the division with a victory or a Saints loss in Week 17.
It was a rough day, but try to keep your head up and as always…
Who Dat?!
