The New Orleans Saints are 0-3, facing their toughest opponent of the season. The Saints are traveling to New York to take on the 3-0 Buffalo Bills, led by former MVP Josh Allen. The Bills are 16.5-point
favorites, and there’sn’t a lot of hope out there that New Orleans can steal a win on Sunday. If the Saints get in the win column in their Week 4 matchup, it’ll likely be because they won these key matchups.
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen vs. the New Orleans Saints secondary
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is one of the most, if not the most, dominant players in the NFL. The story of Sunday won’t be about whether the Saints’ defense stops Allen, but rather how much they can slow him down. The eighth-year quarterback has thrown 5 touchdowns through three games without turning the ball over.
While the Saints’ secondary has allowed an average of 210 passing yards per game this season, they have been inefficient in pass coverage. Opposing quarterbacks have completed 71% of their passes against the New Orleans secondary while also adding 7 touchdowns and no interceptions.
The biggest problem for the Saints’ secondary in coverage has been their youth at cornerback. Second-year cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry isn’t having the standout season he was projected to have, while Alontae Taylor has dealt with injury. New Orleans is starting veteran Isaac Yiadom on the outside, but he has struggled through three games. Rookie Quincy Riley replaced Yiadom in the team’s 44-13 loss to the Seahawks and could potentially be facing his first start of the season.
The Saints’ defense will be tested on Sunday. One of the league’s youngest secondaries is facing a former MVP. If New Orleans wants to come away with their first win against a top team in the league, it’ll have to force Allen into mistakes and create turnovers.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara vs. Bills run defense
Despite the Bills’ impressive 3-0 start, their defense hasn’t been great. Buffalo’s defense is allowing 23.6 points per game and has been prone to the run. In Week 1, the Bills allowed Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry to combine for 239 yards and 3 touchdowns on 10.56 yards per carry.
The Saints don’t have the same caliber of rushing attack as the Ravens do, but running back Alvin Kamara has been efficient to start the season. Kamara is only averaging 3.7 yards a carry, but that was heavily brought down by the lackluster performance from the offense in Week 3. The veteran running back was averaging 4.4 yards a carry before their loss to the Seahawks and coming off a 99-yard performance.
New Orleans’ offensive line hasn’t been spectacular to start the season, but they have found success in run blocking. If the black and gold want any chance of taking home a victory on Sunday, it’ll have to start with the run game.
