It’s been an up-and-down start to the 2023 campaign for the New Orleans Saints.
SportsGrid looks at some key takeaways from the Saints after Week 7.
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1. Consistency Remains an Issue on Offense
There were times on Thursday night when it was simply a struggle to try and watch this group perform on offense. Specifically, if you watched them try and keep a drive going on third down, you often were left puzzled. There are enough skilled players on the Saints, with Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, or the veteran Michael Thomas; this group should be able to be more consistent on that side of the football. Kamara was involved heavily in the passing game on Thursday night, mainly because the Jaguar’s defense took away many options down the field. At the same time, the Saints couldn’t find any consistency in their run game, which needs fixing. Some pieces on offense can move the football, but we need to see more consistency and better play-calling.
2. What Exactly is Derek Carr?
We’re now through seven weeks of play for the New Orleans Saints, and they reside with a 3-4 record. Quarterback Derek Carr hasn’t been fully healthy for a chunk of that, and it doesn’t appear their offense has a lot of confidence in turning to Jameis Winston for whatever reason. In our eyes, although Winston can sometimes turn the ball over, there isn’t a ton that separates him and Carr. Carr has tallied 1,300 passing yards through seven games, six touchdowns, and four interceptions. Those aren’t exactly numbers that jump off the page. There were times during his tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders when he looked like a franchise quarterback, but there are a little too many inconsistencies with his game. The Saints can be a playoff team with Carr as their quarterback, but we’re not sure of their ceiling beyond that.
3. Can this Defense Keep Them in Enough Games?
We’re not concerned about the defensive line with this group, but the secondary struggled on Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This defense is strong, and you can make a solid argument that it’s a top-ten unit. Although the scoreboard ended up with 31 points for the Jaguars, it didn’t necessarily tell the entire story. The Jaguars’ defense had a pick-six, and a few blown coverages in the secondary were uncharacteristic of this group. If the Saints want to be a contender in the NFC South, they’ll need this defense to continue bailing out their offense. The question arises whether or not this group is capable of doing that while the offense continues trying to get on the same page. We believe the potent mix of veterans and youth on this defense will keep them in enough football games to be a competitive team in the NFC.
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