What's it like to play football with real expectations -- with 70,000 fans expecting your team to come out of the tunnel prepared for a matchup with a quality opponent and ready to win? That's not something the New Orleans Saints have experienced much under Kellen Moore. Year 1 was a rebuild. Year 2 has seen them make some exciting plays, surprise some opposing teams, and win over some critics. Now they've got to take the next step against a 2-0 Las Vegas Raiders team that's also finding its stride. Here are four keys to the game for the Saints offense.
Keeping Tyler Shough clean without Kelvin Banks Jr.
Slowing down Maxx Crosby is hard enough without your left tackle, but the Saints must figure out how. That's just one step in the offense's plan to beat the Raiders. The good news is that Crosby doesn't
often rush from the right side of the defensive line, putting him up against the left tackle (just 15.3% of the time through two weeks, per Pro Football Focus charting); we'll see if that plan changes with the Saints starting Asim Richards, a backup. Expect Richards to get a lot of help from left guard David Edwards as well as chip blocks from tight ends Noah Fant and Juwan Johnson. It's not a bad idea so long as there isn't a protection mistake at the line of scrimmage that leaves a running back like CJ Donaldson up against Crosby one-on-one (as happened with Kendre Miller against Aidan Hutchinson a few weeks ago).
Run the ball effectively when they need to
Between free agent contracts with Edwards, Fant, and Travis Etienne Jr., the Saints invested a whopping $58.5 million in their run game this spring. That's resulted in an offense that's gaining just 3.0 yards per carry, tied for 30th among 32 teams. The whole operation just appears to be out of sync. The offensive line is getting pushed around and struggles to work together on combo blocks. There aren't many lanes for rushers to follow through, and when they do get past the line of scrimmage they lack that second gear to cut through the defense for a big gain. They aren't missing forced tackles. Alvin Kamara looks rusty against the Ravens. He's got to bounce back this Sunday. The one silver lining in the run game? Donaldson, a rookie free agent, is 3-for-3 rushing on fourth down.
End drives with touchdowns against a stingy Raiders defense
This one falls under the "no duh" category, but it's real. Just two defenses have a lower rate of ending drives by giving up points to the opposing team than Las Vegas, at 20.8% (that being the New England Patriots at 18.2% and the Seattle Seahawks at 15.8%). This Raiders defense is playing lights-out, but they've mostly done a good job of keeping teams out of the red zone. They've only been backed up to their own goal line five times and three of those drives ended with points. New Orleans ranks 11th in scoring rate (43.5% of their drives) and 10th in red zone efficiency (71.4%). It's vital that they keep it up against a dangerous opponent.
Keep making plays through the air
Did you know the Saints rank second in pass completions of 20-plus yards (11 of them), and they were ranked best before the Green Bay Packers moved ahead by one catch on Thursday Night Football? Chris Olave has proven to be a reliable weapon for Tyler Shough deep downfield (catching six of those shot plays) but he's also developed chemistry with Juwan Johnson and Devaughn Vele. These big gains through the air are a staple of Kellen Moore's offense, and the Raiders know it. They rank near league-average with six deep passes allowed through two weeks, just behind the Ravens (at seven). There will be opportunities for Shough and Co. to make a play. He's got to trust his arm and pull the trigger when he gets that chance.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 4 keys for the Saints offense in Week 3 showdown vs. Raiders
