The Recap- Saints Vs Lions

Saints lose Derek Carr to injury yet again, and lose at home welcoming more boo birds to enter the dome that was dominated by blue.

Team Stats 

(Saints/Lions)

Final Score: 28-33

First downs: 23-18

3rd down efficiency: 6/12 - 6/13

Total yards: 362 - 347

Red Zone Efficiency: 4/4 - 3/5

Penalties: 6 for 50 yards- 6 for 45 yards

Turnovers: 2 - 0

Time of possession: 32:10 - 27:50

Takeaways 

• The red zone offense took a huge leap going 4/4.
• The defense is becoming just as inconsistent as the offense.
• Derek Carr is playing banged up.
• Winston gives hope, not a better outcome.
• Staff not quite sure when or how to use the weapons we have.

Offense

        The Saints offense looked slow, and sad. Then out of nowhere they put points on the board. Saints HC Allen said that he feels they are explosive as an identity and the one thing that shocked today was their 100% success rate in the red zone. Derek Carr has struggled in the red zone his entire career, you as a coaching staff have to recognize that and make changes, today it felt like they did. Unfortunately, the Saints had two costly turnovers that took the energy out of the ball and the building and the offense could never finish the comeback they mounted out of the half. This game wasn't atrocious for the offense, which means no changes are likely and we will be finishing the season with the pieces in place minus any injuries/lingering issues for Carr. Carr finished the game in the locker room with more concussion and shoulder issues.

Defense

        Our defense is what felt like would keep us relevant this season, and while they are still playing well, they seem to be tapering off. I have made comments a few times that I fully expect this defense to start slacking off, despite what felt easy touchdowns they did give up I feel despite giving up 33, the defense did enough to win this week and the offense couldn't get it done. We will see if the defense continues to trend down, but for now I think they are good enough to win games, even in the playoffs.

Saints Stock Exchange (Sponsored By… Nobody)

Just a quick hit section each week to highlight which Saints players/staff have their stock value increasing and decreasing after each game, 3 up and 3 down:

Stock Up

• Taysom Hill
• Alvin Kamara
• Nephi Sewell

        Olave did everything you expected your best receiver to do today, but that is the primary reason I excluded him. This was a game where we leaned on AK and Hill a lot, and it paid off. It was an interesting choice to exclude Hill in 2 of the final 3 plays after he picked up 4 on first down. We had plenty of time, timeouts left, and the ball. All we really needed to do was put our feet in the ground which is something they did all day. As far as Sewell, he had a couple of sneaky good plays, admittedly I didn't know much about him coming in, but when you heard his name it was for good reasons.

Stock Down

• Lou Hedley
• Alontae Taylor
• Zack Baun

        I do not think much needs to be said about Hedley, while numbers will tell you he has done the same or better as who he replaced, that does not mean he is doing well. There is a reason he replaced someone, and I fully expect him to be out of a job with the Saints come of the offseason. I am a huge fan of Taylor, but man was today rough. He seemed to take bad angles, and miscommunicate a few times which led to big plays for the Lions. Zack Baun mostly got beat today, but I don't fully blame him. Baun came in for Werner who is versatile and seemed to show he is more of an edge player, versus a versatile linebacker. The reason that Sewell came in was partially for coverage situations, which may have been something the coaches decided on the fly seeing Baun struggle away from the line of scrimmage.

Conclusion 

The Saints have had multiple opportunities to win the games we have lost. This was the first one that felt like it was going to be an embarrassing loss but the Saints made it a game once again. A part of me wishes it would have been am embarrassing loss, purely because it would have at least sparked something. A players only meeting seemed to turn the Pels around, but no such turnaround has happened or appears to be in sight.

Make sure to follow The Kneaux on Twitter/X.