I was going to follow my standard format, which includes what I was looking for and how it played out, but after the Saints immediately fell behind 21-0 to start this game, it made no sense to. There were zero positives in this game for the Saints, other than Rattler seemingly not being the reason the score ended the way it did. This game showed Saints fans and the NFL where this organization currently is, and it is clearly a rebuilding team at the bottom of the power rankings. 

The crazy thing about this blowout is that the Saints led the game in time of possession, which can mean a few things. Firstly, it can mean that the Saints' offense had long drives and didn’t capitalize on points, which happened. Secondly, it can mean that the Seahawks had big returns as well as quick scoring drives, which also happened. Neither of those things you want to see from your team, and hopefully, we will see those fixed in the coming weeks.

My biggest takeaway from this game was that Kellen Moore seems to be in over his head as an NFL head coach, and I really wanted to be patient this year with him. Before the half, when you are down by more than 30 points, it makes no sense at all to attempt a field goal on 4th down in the opponent’s territory. It also makes even less sense after the first field goal misses, and you then attempt another from the opponent’s 5-yard line. Both of those moments scream surrendering defeat, or even a lack of confidence in your team, and neither of those are desirable traits for a head coach in the league. 

What made these decisions make less sense is that Kellen Moore attempted to go for it on 4th down two times early in the game, once resulting in a turnover on downs, and the other leading to a false start, leading to a punt return touchdown. The Saints once again struggled to cut down on penalties, having 11 in the game, with multiple being pre-snap by the line or receivers. Yes, it is Kellen Moore’s first season as an NFL head coach, but this doesn’t mean he can constantly let sloppy, undisciplined play go without showing some emotion on the sideline. One of my biggest issues with Dennis Allen was that he never seemed to show any emotion on the sideline, whether that be positive energy in a good game or performance, or lighting a fire under the players’ asses in bad ones. So, with the way the Saints started this game, I would have loved for Kellen Moore to show something, anything, and he didn’t. Does that mean he is a bad head coach? No, but it also isn’t the sign of a good one. This is still only the third game of the season, so I’m very interested to see exactly how he gets the team to respond after this week. 

Offense

I really don’t know what to say about the offense in this one. Spencer Rattler looked okay considering he was forced into trying to play hero ball early, and he seemed to have poise all the way through the end. He had a few almost picks in this one, and they weren’t the best of throws or decisions, but none of them actually ended up standing. His only REAL pick in this one came on a 4th down where he faced immediate pressure and was forced to throw it, so I won’t take that throw as a negative. 

The Saints were down Radunz and Fuaga, so I wasn’t expecting clean OL play, but the number of penalties this group committed was absolutely atrocious. The run game was also visibly impacted without both of those guys, which isn’t a surprise. The passing game seemed fine without the two, although the pocket was definitely worse than the prior couple of weeks.

Chris Olave played well in this one, with the Seahawks limiting deep plays and Olave being able to find short holes in the zone constantly, and catching almost everything thrown his way.

The Defense

An atrocity to football. The defense let up 4 touchdowns in a row to start the game, followed by 3 field goals, and did not get their first stop of the game until the fourth quarter. There was no pressure in this game, with seemingly no blitzes being thrown at the Seahawks, and a secondary appearing to always leave at least one player wide open. Those two things added together lead to one thing: points. Brandon Staley let Sam Darnold sit in the pocket all game long, and the results did not bode well for a Saints team that lacks a lot of talent outside of their vets, i.e., Demario Davis and Justin Reid. 

The only positive things I can say about this side of the ball is that once Quincy Riley was put in, he made a play by forcing a fumble late in the 4th quarter, and that the run defense showed some good moments. Outside of that, nothing desirable on this side of the ball.

Special Teams

No positives at all. Blake Grupe missed another field goal, they allowed a punt to be blocked, and let up a punt return touchdown. All three are the ultimate triple header of poor special teams play, and I’m not sure how you let Phil Galiano have a job after this performance. On the blocked punt, they left the end man on the line go completely unblocked, and on the punt return, the lanes by the coverage team were absolutely horrific. In addition, Grupe’s miss put Kellen Moore in the position to either cut him or bring in competition this week (if they decide not to just roll the dice on Charlie Smyth). 

Closing and Team MVPs

This game was ugly to watch, and I know all of the Saints fans reading this are embarrassed to call themselves fans of the team, and frankly, I’m right there with you all. But that being said, this is a rebuilding team lacking young talent, so this was bound to happen sooner rather than later. The biggest thing for me is seeing how this team responds, and if the locker room is able to survive this type of hit. If it doesn’t, this team could see major movement before the deadline. 

The final thing I want to note is that this game, in no way, shape, or form, influenced my opinions on Rattler. Did he miss a couple of throws? Sure, but he was forced to play hero ball early, and the Seahawks were able to sit back and play prevent all game. That being said, Rattler needs to start winning games soon, or the Saints will have no choice other than to see what Shough is able to do.

Offensive MVP: Chris Olave

Defensive MVP: NONE

Special Teams MVP: NONE