The New Orleans Saints dropped to 1-7 after being outplayed heavily by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This was the second week of being totally outclassed and seemed to be moving in the wrong direction. While
a 1-7 record is never fun, it isn’t always the worst thing in the world.
Up: Draft pick
It finally happened! Despite having one win through eight weeks, the Saints only gained control of the first overall pick on Sunday after their loss to the Buccaneers and the New York Jets’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Now in possession of the first overall pick, the Saints are set to pick first overall for the first time since 1981.
Up: CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry has been the name that has appeared on the ups and downs list the most this season. He had the highest of the highs, recording two interceptions in the win over the New York Giants, and the lowest of the lows, being picked apart by opposing offenses. But on Sunday, McKinstry added another strong day to his books.
The entire defense had a better day on Sunday despite not getting help from the offense. New Orleans had a goal-line stand on the Buccaneers offense, and almost did it again before Tampa Bay was able to find the endzone on 4th down. Highlighted in the Saints’ second goal line stand was the Buccaneers taking two shots against McKinstry in 1-on-1 coverage. The second-year cornerback not only forced incompletions but also nearly came away with the football. The New Orleans cornerback had a strong day despite a bad loss for the Saints.
Down: Spencer Rattler
Spencer Rattler came off his worst day as a pro against the Chicago Bears and wasn’t able to bounce back against the Buccaneers. Rattler struggled to run the Saints offense, and despite passing efficiently, couldn’t lead the New Orleans offense to more than three points. Following his struggles, including two turnovers, Head Coach Kellen Moore benched the second-year quarterback for Tyler Shough.
Shough came in the game and didn’t look much better, but his opportunity to come into the game showed that the leniency for Rattler has dwindled. Moore hasn’t announced who the quarterback will be for Week 9 yet, but even if Rattler retains his job, there won’t be much room for mistakes.
Down: Run game
When Kellen Moore came to New Orleans, he promised to build his team from the inside out and run the ball. Setting up a running game makes perfect sense for the Saints offense, which is trotting out a young quarterback every week.
Despite a strong start to the season on the ground, the Saints have been on a terrible streak of failing to reach 100 yards since Week 4. Alvin Kamara was the only running back to take a carry in the loss, rushing six times for 21 yards. The injury to Kendre Miller was sure to shake up the running game for New Orleans, and despite the promise for rookie Devin Neal to get an increased role, the Saints went away from the run, forcing their young quarterbacks to combine for 51 pass attempts.
