That was a heartbreaker. After going up by eleven points ten minutes into the third quarter, the New Orleans Saints gave up 19 unanswered points and turned the ball over on four of their last five downs, all but gift-wrapping a win for the Las Vegas Raiders. The problem before this was that they couldn't start games fast and had to hurry down the stretch to make up for it.
Instead, Sunday showed a team that found its footing early on, stepped on the gas, and then ran out when the opposing squad adapted to them. We haven't seen Kellen Moore's team execute a complete game yet. That won't happen until everyone is pulling their weight. With that in mind, here are Week 3's Studs and Duds.
Studs: The tight ends
Let's start with the positives. Together, Juwan Johnson and
Noah Fant combined for 12 receptions, 86 yards, and four touchdowns, making an outsized impact on a day Shough threw 42 passes. They were consistently fighting for extra yards and competing through contact. Oscar Delp flashed several times as a blocking tight end and it feels like only a matter of time before the Saints start working in some targets for the rookie third-round pick. This is a productive and talented group.
Negative plays were few and far between, but Johnson's fumble on the final possession can't be understated. That turnover changed what would have been 1st-and-10 from around midfield into a Las Vegas victory formation. He just can't lose possession in that situation. Johnson has come a long way, especially once Shough was named the starter, but lapses in ball security continue to be an issue with him. This is his fifth fumble in three years.
Dud: Asim Richards
We understand Richards was in a tough spot, filling in for Kelvin Banks Jr. against a dangerous Raiders pass rush. And he held up well for most of the game. But the fourth quarter was nothing short of disastrous. He gave up a sack and was at fault on two turnovers (his opponent, Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce, forced a fumble off of Shough and pressured the quarterback into throwing an interception). He's got to play better if he's going to hold onto this job for the rest of the season, or at least the foreseeable future. That's the lot in life for an offensive lineman. You can be clean on 43 snaps in pass protection, but those four bad reps could cost the game.
Stud: Chase Young
Young's job only got more difficult as the day wore on -- his co-starter Carl Granderson, and backup Anfernee Jennings, both left with injuries and did not return -- but he delivered with two huge sacks when the team needed them most. His first sack dropped Cousins on a long third down deep inside New Orleans territory, forcing the Raiders to settle for a field goal. His second sack came inside the two-minute warning at midfield, forcing a fumble that the Raiders were lucky to recover, giving his offense a shot at tying up the game.
Dud: The secondary
Did you know Kool-Aid McKinstry was the only Saints defensive back who got a hand on a ball all afternoon? He broke up two passes and no other cornerback or safety was able to rally to the catch point on 31 pass attempts from Kirk Cousins. Finding a way to win in the NFL is hard enough when you aren't -4 in turnover differential. Jonas Sanker was caught out of position a couple of times, including that touchdown pass to Raiders wide receiver Cody White (his first and only catch today) and nobody was able to slow down star tight end Brock Bowers. He made several big catches with defensive backs draped all over him. A lack of team speed on the back end also showed on Mike Washington's 36-yard touchdown run. The Saints need to get more athletic in the secondary.
Stud: Chris Olave
Olave was covered tightly by the Raiders secondary, but he kept making difficult catches, and Shough kept showing confidence in him. It's easy to see why when Olave was converting seven first downs on nine catches while making some nifty moves after the catch. He's fully asserted himself as the Saints' WR1, but we can't wait to see rookie draft pick Jordyn Tyson take some pressure off of Olave's shoulders, hopefully in just a few weeks.
Dud: Third down defense
Brandon Staley's unit allowed seven conversions on a dozen third downs; that's a success rate of 58.3% for Las Vegas, compared to the 33.3% rate they managed through two weeks. Cousins picked apart their coverages and the run defense wasn't up to snuff, which made for a disappointing combination. This team needs another pass rusher and a playmaker in the secondary who teams hesitate to throw at. It feels like they're another offseason away from fully realizing their potential.
Stud: Tyler Shough
Yes, Shough deserves some blame for turning the ball over three times (honestly, four times; he got bailed out by a coverage penalty late in the game). But this was another week where the Saints had a chance to win because of him, not with him. Shough's ability to read the blitz and get the ball out quickly gave the team opportunities to sustain drives and put points on the board. There are still some warts to his skill set; his timing has been off on several screens, and the exchange on pitches to running backs shifting out of the backfield have continued. But you can see why the Saints have been and remain so high on him.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Studs and Duds from Saints' crushing Week 3 loss to Raiders
