Canal Street Chronicles
0-3 meets 3-0 when the New Orleans Saints duke it out with the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Although the Saints come into the contest as a heavy underdog, Buffalo’s defense is arguably not the best that New Orleans has faced in the early portion of the year.
The Saints struggled to get into a rhythm versus the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3 due to a barrage of mental mistakes. However, the Saints have been just a play or two away from winning their first two games of the year. Point totals have been low, but the offense has managed to stay competitive.
Quarterback Spencer Rattler has looked like a quality NFL player after a full offseason under his belt. He is completing just over 67% of his passes and has tossed four touchdown passes while throwing just one pick. The downside? He has been sacked six times already.
The play along the offensive line has been relatively atrocious. Along with not being able to hold up in pass protection, there is simply no push up front. New Orleans has just over 300 rushing yards through the first three games, but Rattler has the highest average per carry among all players with stats in the category.
New Orleans has not managed to score more than 21 points in any game this season, but Buffalo has not scored under 30 through the first three weeks. Something is going to have to give if the Saints want any chance at keeping this week’s matchup from becoming another blowout.
Buffalo’s defense is one of just twelve across the league, allowing less than 300 yards per game. The Bills have also won the turnover battle against their opponents with a margin of +3 thus far. If New Orleans can avoid turning the ball over, the team might give itself a shot in this one.
Another factor that could come into play is just how clean both teams can perform. New Orleans has already amassed 31 penalties to Buffalo’s 14. I would expect New Orleans to play more efficiently this weekend, but it is hard to be optimistic about Kellen Moore’s squad taking on a Super Bowl favorite.
