The good, the bad, and the ugly: Saints vs. Chiefs

The Good: Rashid Shaheed
The New Orleans Saints deep threat turned in another great game on Monday. He caught 4 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown on a 43-yard bomb in the second quarter. Shaheed has emerged as a legitimate WR2 and one of the best deep threats in the NFL, as this is his fourth game of the year with 70+ yards and third with a 40+ yard touchdown catch. Shaheed was the lone bright spot on what was a rough evening for the Saints offense.

The Bad: Rushing Offense and Defense
The Saints managed to rush for just 46 yards on 15 attempts on Monday night. The offensive line wasn’t able to create many opportunities for Alvin Kamara as the Kansas City Chiefs defensive line was able to dominate for most of the game. Derek Carr did not have a good game either as his terrible interception on the first drive set a bad tone for the rest of the game. But it was the inability to establish the run that constantly put the Saints in 2nd and long and eventually 3rd and long situations that ended five out of nine Saints drives within 6 plays. The Saints defense let Kareem Hunt, who was signed just 3 weeks prior, rush for over 100 yards and a touchdown. This was Hunt’s first 100-yard rushing performance since 2020 and just his third since 2018. The Saints defense was also unable to keep quarterback Patrick Mahomes bottled up in the pocket, as he was consistently able to scramble and keep the play alive or pick up first downs with his legs.

Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Ugly: Injuries
The Saints, already hit with the injury bug yet again, suffered even more potentially multi-week injuries to starter on Monday. Already without linebackers Willie Gay and Pete Werner, the Saints defense also lost safety Will Harris to a hamstring injury. Harris was able to walk off the field, but hamstring injuries usually wind up causing players to miss multiple weeks. The Saints were already down Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, Taysom Hill, and Kendre Miller on offense, and during the course of the game backup center Lucas Patrick also left with a collarbone injury, forcing Conor McGovern, who was just signed this week, into the game. Patrick was eventually able to return but time will tell if he is able to suit up next week. Quarterback Derek Carr also suffered an oblique injury late which forced Jake Haener into his first real action in the NFL (he came in during Week’s 1 and 2 but only late after the games had turned into blowouts). Carr will undergo more testing this week to see if he can suit up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the Saints currently face the prospect of going into a game with a division foe that they desperately need to win without their starting quarterback.

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