NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints, who began the NFL season with great potential, are now facing a troubling downturn in performance. After suffering a 26-8 defeat against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Saints find themselves enduring their second six-game losing streak this century, the first in nearly two decades. The last time their struggles were this severe was in 1999 when Mike Ditka was the head coach.
Running back Alvin Kamara spoke candidly about the team’s situation, stating, “We’ve got a lot of bad going on right now. I don’t think we’re a team that’s very committed to detail right now… If you would, we wouldn’t have so many other ailments.” As the losses accumulate, the Saints’ performance has sharply declined. Early in the season, they held leads in matchups but failed to secure victories. Their last four games resulted in defeats by significant margins, with three of those losses by 18 points or more.
The latest defeat hit hard for team morale, as the Saints had hoped that the return of key players would give them an advantage against an injury-plagued Chargers squad. However, while the Chargers showed resilience in overcoming their injuries, the Saints displayed deeper issues with execution beyond just player availability.
Despite some individual achievements, like Kamara and wide receiver Chris Olave each amassing over 100 yards from scrimmage, these accomplishments were overshadowed by critical penalties and mistakes that impeded their drives. While the Saints’ defense showcased strength with three sacks and six forced punts, they struggled due to the frequency with which they were required to return to the field after ineffective offensive drives.
Saints head coach Dennis Allen acknowledged the current challenges, saying, “The margin for error right now is small. When we have opportunities to make plays, I think we have to be able to make the plays.” Previous coaches who experienced similar losing streaks, Jim Haslett and Ditka, were dismissed from their positions after they faced prolonged slumps.
Three of the team’s losses have occurred without injured starting quarterback Derek Carr, who is anticipated to return this week. The Saints are left hoping his comeback can ignite a much-needed turnaround before it’s too late in the season.
What has been promising for the Saints is their defense’s solid start early in games. They managed to keep the Chargers scoreless in the first quarter, marking their third first-quarter shutout this season. Notably, the Saints have only allowed more than seven points in a first quarter once throughout their eight games.
However, the offense has struggled significantly, particularly on the opponents’ side of midfield, culminating in just two field goals during the latest outing. Allen remarked, “We made some explosive plays and then followed it up with penalties. Right now, we’re not overcoming those. So, we’ve got to play a cleaner game to give ourselves a chance.” The Saints were particularly ineffective on third down, converting just 2 of 16 attempts and accumulating six offensive penalties, including five involving linemen.
In terms of player performance, Olave bounced back from concussion protocols to have a strong game, catching eight passes for 107 yards. On the other hand, there were disappointing results from Rattler, as he struggled to direct a touchdown drive again and was replaced by Jake Haener during the second half.
Injury issues continued to plague the Saints, with cornerback Marshon Lattimore and running back Kendre Miller both suffering hamstring injuries. “It’s unfortunate for those two players because they kind of had a little bit of that in their history,” commented Allen. Rookie wide receiver Bub Means faced an ankle injury, while cornerback Rico Payton left with back issues, and tight end Juwan Johnson underwent concussion evaluation. Carr, dealing with an oblique issue, missed his third consecutive game.
A key statistic from the recent game was that the Saints went without scoring a single touchdown in Los Angeles, despite having pivotal players like Olave and Taysom Hill back in action. This marked the first game of the season where New Orleans failed to reach the end zone at all.
Looking ahead, the Saints will travel again this Sunday to face the Carolina Panthers, a team they previously defeated 47-10 in Week 1—a game that initially appeared promising for their new offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak.