Canal Street Chronicles
Saints lose yet again as the offense hits rock bottom.
The New Orleans Saints special teams scored all of the teams points on Sunday. A botched punt by the Chargers on their first drive led to a safety and the Saints only lead of the day. Blake Grupe made two of his three kicks as well, both from 40+ yards. Punter Matthew Hayball had a good game as well, as he was called on to punt 9 times. He punted for 437 yards including a long of 59 yards and had 5 punts down inside the 20-yard line. Kendre Miller also opened the second half with a 41-yard return which set the Saints up at their own 40-yard line. Unfortunately, the offense wouldn’t cross midfield and would punt again after three plays. I know this is a sad statement to say that the punter was the best part of the day, but Hayball and the rest of the special teams were really the only phase of the game that performed average to above average for the Saints on Sunday.
The Saints offense again sputtered on Sunday, as they were held out of the endzone for the first time this season. They have failed to score more than 13 points in half of their games this season and have now lost four straight games by double figures. Rookie Spencer Rattler was benched for Jake Haener late in the third quarter, but neither QB was able to lead the team to more than 3 points. This is especially disconcerting when you consider most of the Saints' starting offense was available on Sunday. Only Erik McCoy was missing from the offensive line, and Chris Olave and Taysom Hill both were able to suit up for the first time after previously missing one week and three weeks respectively.
The Saints are getting worse and now own the longest losing streak in the NFL with six straight losses. Based on the eye test, they arguably look like a bottom 3 team in the league, which is especially terrible given that they looked like a top 3 team over the first two weeks. Their only saving grace is that two of their next three games come against Carolina and Cleveland. They may be able to get back on track if they can stack some wins and gain confidence but given how they have looked over the last six weeks we might be talking about a top 3 pick in the NFL draft very soon.
Make sure you follow Canal Street Chronicles on X at @SaintsCSC, “Like” us on Facebook at Canal Street Chronicles, follow us on Instagram at @SaintsCSC, and make sure you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel. As always, you can follow me on X at @Hayden_Reel.
