Canal Street Chronicles
Rizzi ball is alive and well.
The New Orleans Saints defeated the Cleveland Browns 35-14 on Sunday improving their record to 4-7. The Saints have now won two straight since hiring interim head coach Darren Rizzi and the team has mass Improved in many departments. While there is a lot of work to go, there is still hope for the Saints to make the playoffs.
Last week against the Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo went 1/4 on field goals. The trend continued on Sunday when Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins went 0/2 (really 0/3) on the day. Hopkins would first miss a 51-yarder on his first attempt before missing another field goal before halftime. With 14 seconds left in the second quarter, Hopkins missed a 32-yard field goal before getting another chance after a holding penalty called on defensive end Payton Turner. The veteran kicker would go on to miss the following 27-yard attempt.
The Saints are now 2-0 after assigning special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi as the interim head coach. There is a different energy in the building from both fans and players that was lacking with former head coach Dennis Allen. The team desperately needed change and now the ball is starting to roll a little more in New Orleans way.
It’s no surprise to anyone that the Saints' secondary has been feeling the effects of losing All-Pro Marshon Lattimore, but after just two weeks New Orleans has allowed 801 yards passing to opposing quarterbacks. The Saints are starting two young corners on the outside including rookie Kool-Aid McKinstry. While the team is high on their young studs, growing pains such as games like Sunday will continue to happen.
During the Saints' last two games quarterback Derek Carr has gone 37/52 for 517 yards and 4 touchdowns. While not the biggest numbers, Carr has been efficient and offensive play-calling has been much improved. Running back Alvin Kamara has taken a step back as a runner during this span, but other players have stepped up such as tight end Taysom Hill who had 7 rushes for 138 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Browns. Other players have also made big impacts like newly signed wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling who stepped up in the absence of Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. The veteran receiver has 5 receptions for 196 yards and 3 touchdowns during the team's recent win streak. While the offense has looked much improved, the team will have to continue to rely on players in smaller roles to take steps up to keep the offense on track.
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