The New Orleans Saints just barely missed the playoffs last season, but their ninth-ranked scoring defense wasn’t the reason for coming up short. Scoring just 19.4 points per game (22nd in the NFL) kept the Saints out of the playoffs instead.
By replacing Andy Dalton with four-time Pro Bowl QB Derek Carr, the Saints hoped they had the pieces needed to take back the NFC South. Seven games into the Carr era, the results are the same.
While the Saints do rank slightly ahead of last season’s pace, scoring the 21st-most points in the NFL, they’re actually averaging slightly fewer points per game at 19.
Carr hasn’t been the solution, as he’s committed just as many turnovers as touchdowns scored with six. It’s not like he hasn’t had plenty of chances, as Carr boasts the third-most passing attempts in football, meaning the Saints haven’t abandoned their passing attack. But when New Orleans does dial up a pass, it’s led to an average of just 5.4 yards gained per attempt. That’s far from a high-powered scoring attack.
Yet, it’s not just an ineffective passing offense that’s been the issue. The Saints haven’t been able to run the ball at all this season, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry, which ranks fifth-worst in the NFL.
So, they pass a ton, but it rarely leads to big plays or touchdowns, and when they do run, the Saints can’t gain any traction or move the chains on the ground either. In other words, the entire offense is a mess.
With the Saints sitting at 3-4, coming off a tough seven-point loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Night Football, head coach Dennis Allen has had a few extra days to prepare for their upcoming Week 8 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. But will the team’s offensive woes suddenly disappear?
Coach Allen sure hopes so.
“I think it’s time for those to be done with. We had a lot of good conversations with a lot of different people, things that we need to do better. The specifics of what we have to do kind of remain in house, but we know that we have to play better. So we will.”
New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen on offensive struggles
Everyone associated with the Saints likely feels the same way, that it’s time for the team’s offensive struggles to be done with. Whether they actually are could be a different story, but that’s why they play the games. With the Saints trailing the Atlanta Falcons by just one game for the NFC South division lead, there’s plenty of time to get this offense rolling, perhaps the additional time off is just what New Orleans needed.
Related: See where the New Orleans Saints land in Sportsnaut’s NFL offense rankings