The Good: Defense
Not a whole lot went well for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, but if anything was better than the others it was the defense. They forced five punts, sacked Kirk Cousins three times, and held Atlanta to 3/12 on 3rd down. The play of the day for the defense was a pick 6 by safety Justin Reid on what was his first interception as a Saint. The defense kept it a one score game for most of the afternoon until they let Darnell Mooney get behind them for a 49-yard touchdown in the 4th quarter that iced
the game.
The Bad: Offense
The Saints offense did not score a touchdown and managed just three points against the Falcons. The Falcons defense ranks 16th in the NFL, yet the Saints had one of their worst offensive performances of the year, which is saying a lot. The Saints simply cannot run the ball effectively, as they ran for just 79 yards on 28 attempts this week. They rank 29th in the NFL in rushing, averaging only 91 yards rushing per game, and are also tied with the Las Vegas Raiders (who just fired their offensive coordinator) for the fewest points scored this season. Tyler Shough has been just ok, Alvin Kamara got injured on Sunday but so far, has looked like a shell of himself, and Taysom Hill just does not have the same pop as he did before he got injured. Chris Olave has proved that he is still a very good receiver though, as he ranks 14th in the NFL in yards and 7th in receptions and is on his way to yet another 1,000-yard season.
The Ugly: Blake Grupe
The New Orleans Saints should be looking for a new kicker this week. Blake Grupe missed his first two kicks on the day from38 and 47 yards on Sunday. If he made these two kicks the Saints would have been able to tie the game on their final drive of the day rather than trailing by 14. In an era where kickers are getting so good there is talk of narrowing the goal posts, the Saints still employ the worst starting kicker in the NFL. Grupe is hitting just 69% of his field goals this year, which is by far the worst in the league among those who have attempted 25+ kicks. Grupe is 5/11 on kicks from 40+ this year, meaning the Saints pretty much have to get to the red zone for there to be a greater than 50% chance he converts. The Saints are bringing in kickers Justin Tucker and Cade York for a tryout this week, so it is likely we have just seen Grupe’s last game in New Orleans.
