Dawgs By Nature
We ask about the Saints’ rough patch, how their defense has struggled, and more.
This Sunday, the Cleveland Browns take on the New Orleans Saints. To help preview a few topics from the Saints’ perspective, we reached out to Nic Jennings from Canal Street Chronicles and exchanged five questions with him.
Chris: “The Saints’ offense exploded in the first two weeks, but then lost seven straight games and saw their head coach get fired, before winning this past week. Did the team’s losing stretch come off as a big surprise to fans?”
Nic: “Prior to the start of the season, if you had told the Who Dat Nation that they’d drop 40+ points in back-to-back blowout wins to open the 2024 campaign, most would have probably said that sounded more outlandish than a seven-game losing streak under Dennis Allen.
Allen entered his third season as the Saints’ HC with a 24-46 career coaching record (26-53 following his termination), so it was unrealistic to think he would magically turn things around now. His tenure in the black and gold will be remembered for turning the infamously bad Saints defense into one of the league’s best, but it was cut short due to an 18-25 record as the franchise’s head coach post-Sean Payton.
However, after witnessing straight domination in consecutive weeks, it was definitely shocking to see such a collapse, even with the overload of injuries New Orleans has faced this season.
The players and the fan base have rallied behind interim HC Darren Rizzi this past week after his debut victory over the rival Atlanta Falcons, as it’s clear that a fresh voice of leadership provided the locker room a desperately-needed boost of energy. New Orleans went out there and fought for a coach they have a deep amount of respect for, proving that they are a better team than the product they’ve been putting on display, despite the number of players they’ve been missing.”
Chris: “New Orleans’ defense has seemed a bit vulnerable — what area has struggled the most on that side of the ball?”
Nic: “The Saints’ run defense has been absolutely abysmal for quite some time now. They currently allow an average of 5.2 yards per carry, just behind the New York Giants’ league-worst 5.3 YPC, and are in a three-way tie for 20+ yard runs given up (12). Additionally, they’ve given up the fifth-most rushing yards in the NFL through Week 10 (1,410 yards) and are tied for third in rushing touchdowns conceded (14).”
Chris: “Which member(s) of the Saints’ 2024 draft class are having the biggest impact?”
Nic: “Rookie OT Taliese Fuaga has been outstanding for New Orleans given the circumstances, and it looks like they’ve hit the jackpot with the 14th overall pick in the draft.
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