It's hard to find more definitive proof that Kellen Moore is out of his depth than this stat. The New Orleans Saints were soundly beaten by the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and a lot of it had to do with poor play calling by the Saints head coach. Anyone who has watched an NFL pregame show, listened to a podcast, or read an article about buzzy 2027 head coach candidates over the last month knows that Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores blitzes opposing quarterbacks more than anyone else. But that looked like it was news to Moore.
Here's a stat from Pro Football Focus to prove it. PFF charting found that the Vikings sent extra pressure after Saints quarterback Tyler Shough on 23 of his 27 dropbacks (85.2%, nearly triple the NFL average).
And Moore left him out in harm's way without any help. PFF charting also observed that the Saints didn't run a single screen pass throughout the game to try to beat the blitz. They only used play action twice. Those plays exist to slow down the opposing defense, redirect opponents away from the flow of play, and give the quarterback a favorable throw. Coaches have published books on installing screens literally titled "Beating the Blitz."
So why hasn't Moore heard of them? He obviously has, but why isn't he using them? He isn't scripting the kind of "easy button" plays into his offense that successful play callers like Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay have made hay with, and even worse, he isn't dialing them up when his offense can't move the ball with his scripted selection. When the Vikings key in on how rigid his system is and pressure Shough into a couple of bad decisions that turn into disastrous turnovers, it's obvious what the problem is.
We're not saying Moore needs to pivot to a gimmicky offense that never asks the quarterback to take a snap from under center or put all of the pressure on the receivers to gain yards after the catch. But there are levers Moore could pull to make things easier for Shough, to slow down the game and help his offensive line dictate terms. Whether he's not up for the weekly grind of preparing a game plan or overwhelmed by the pressure of managing all three phases during a game, what he's currently doing isn't working.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: PFF: Saints didn't run a single screen play against 23 Vikings blitzes
