Canal Street Chronicles
The New Orleans Saints fell to 0-2 on the season after a disappointing 26-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. For a second consecutive week, the Saints were their biggest enemy, making preventable mistakes. Despite the loss, there were plenty of positives to come out of the Week 2 loss.
Quarterback Spencer Rattler had a strong bounce-back showing in Week 2. The second-year signal caller ended the day throwing for 207 yards and 3 touchdowns without throwing an interception. While not perfect, Rattler was able to lead the Saints offense to three scoring drives, and could’ve had more if he received more help from his supporting cast.
Rattler was comfortable in Kellen Moore’s offense on Sunday and showed growth. In a year where he’ll feel rookie Tyler Shough breathing down his neck through every performance, a three-touchdown day bought the young quarterback some more leeway.
While he had a strong performance, Rattler is still searching for his first career win as a starter. The former fifth-round pick is 0-8 as a starter, and the schedule will get more difficult before it gets easier for New Orleans. If Rattler can continue to perform how he did on Sunday while also pushing the ball down the field more, he’ll hopefully find his first career win in the coming weeks.
The Saints were without defensive end Chase Young for the second straight week, but the pass rush continues to find success. The Saints ended with 3 sacks on Sunday, with defensive end Carl Granderson logging two of them. Along with his 2 sacks, Granderson added 7 tackles and 3 TFLs.
After his big game, Granderson currently leads the NFL in sacks with 3.5. While the former undrafted free agent has to remain consistent throughout the season, he could be in for a big year after finding newfound success under defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s 3-4 scheme.
Cornerback Isaac Yiadom struggled in Week 1, but played well enough to stay off our list in the loss. But the eighth-year cornerback’s slow start continued on Sunday. The 49ers offense was targeting Yiadom and he struggled to keep up with second-year wideout Ricky Pearsall.
To make matters worse for Yiadom, he had two crucial penalties. The first came on a big third-down stop by the Saints defense, which kept the 49ers offense on the field where they would eventually drive down the field for a touchdown, and the other on a punt return that pushed the Saints offense into their own 20.
Yiadom’s struggles will only be magnified by the resources that are negated by starting him. The Saints are projected to be rewarded a compensatory 4th-round draft pick in 2026 after Paulson Adebo signed a big contract with the New York Giants, but in the NFL’s eyes, the three-year $9 million signing of Yiadom is enough to offset the compensatory pick if the veteran cornerback gets enough snaps. If Yiadom continues to struggle, the...
