Fazende: Five takes on Saints loss to Steelers

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Take One: Paris Problems

Technically, the Saints were not embarrassed in Paris Sunday against the Steelers like in previous losses. But don’t confuse avoiding an embarrassment with playing well enough to win. The Saints did not on Sunday and followed an all-too-familiar script in route to their fifth loss of the season.

Once again, the Saints were scoreless in the first quarter. The Saints didn’t play a single snap with a lead. They couldn’t run the football despite a significant investment to improve that part of the operation.

So now, the Saints head to the bye week 2-5 in need of some intense soul searching. Had it not been for the ineptitude of the division they play in, the Saints season may already be over. Thankfully, the NFC South has provided them a small silver lining of hope.

However, this team’s problems are not small and must get figured out quickly. Time is running out to get things back on track.

The reality is the sample size of the Kellen Moore experiment has grown large enough now to legitimately question if things are headed in the right direction.

Take Two: Run Over

One look at the stat sheet told the story of the Saints’ latest loss:

Pittsburgh ran for 148 yards on 30 carries.

New Orleans ran for 18 yards on 17 carries.

Look no further than that.

The Steelers set the tone very early with their ground attack and never let up. The Saints defense could never get it under control.

Meanwhile, the longest rush of the game for the Saints offense was six. That’s it. Six yards on a Tyler Shough run.

When 42 year-old Aaron Rodgers rushed for eight yards on the final third down of the game, he out-gained every Saints rusher.

What’s frustrating about this team’s lack of rushing success is the team’s spared no expense in the offseason to make it better. There is no way they should be this bad. Plus, a consistent run game would solve several of the team’s issues elsewhere.

This is a spot where changes to the operation may need to be made during the bye week.

Take Three: Turning Point

Tyler Shough played a really good game Sunday outside of one throw. Unfortunately, that throw was the turning point of the game.

It came at the 7:43 mark of the third quarter on the 14th play of their opening possession of the second half with the Saints in the red zone.

Shough was on fire and just connected on five of his first six passes of the quarter as the team was on the verge of their first lead of the game.

On his seventh throw, Shough attempted another short out route to the flat to Chris Olave, but this time, Peyton Wilson was able to undercut the throw to make the interception inside the ten-yard line.

The turnover was devastating. Not only did it kill a promising drive, but also the way the game played out the Saints were limited to just six offensive possessions all game.

To lose one of those possessions to a turnover so close to the end zone had a much bigger impact percentage-wise on the game than it normally would have had they had the normal number of drives.

Take Four: Carlson Concerns

Kicker Daniel Carlson is not the main reason the Saints are 2-5, but he has played a significant role in the team’s lack of success.

On Sunday, he struggled yet again. In a game as a low-scoring as Sunday was, every point matters. Carlson had a chance to add three critical points in the fourth quarter from 52 yards out, but squandered the opportunity.

Had he connected, it would have made the final sequence at the end of the game much different when Pittsburgh was trying to drain the clock up six instead of up three.

For the season, Carlson has now missed four field goals and two extra points in seven games.

At this point, Carlson is simply no longer dependable, and the points he’s leaving on the field have proved costly. This is one area where a change must be made after the bye week.

Take Five: Other Observations

• There was a lot of talk about how both organizations handled the travel to Paris. For the Saints and Mrs. Benson, it was much more of a cultural event. The team spent the week there to get acclimated and had several fans there celebrating and enjoying the city. For the Steelers, it was a quick business trip. They got in Friday and were out Sunday night. Clearly, it didn’t have a negative impact on Pittsburgh’s play.
• In absence of a run game, the Saints offense was able to effectively work the underneath passing game. This forced a lot of longer drives for the offense and compressed the field once they got into the red zone. That compressed field played a role in Shough’s interception.
• The Saints had six offensive possessions against the Steelers. They had 15 against the Giants.
• The Saints came close to losing three other fumbles in the game.
• At this rate, just matching last year’s 6-11 record feels far from a guarantee.

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