Saints post Week 4 power rankings
NFL.com – 14 (-4)
“New Orleans’ offense has come back to earth. After the 91-point outburst in Weeks 1 and 2, the Saints have not been as consistently dangerous in the two losses since then. After Taysom Hill scored the team’s first two touchdowns on Sunday, he left the game with an abdomen injury, and it felt like the Saints really missed him after that. Alvin Kamara still battled through a few injuries to turn in another big game, and Chris Olave came alive in the second half, but the Saints missed on their chances to take control early on with a number of stalled drives. Injuries are starting to mount on both sides of the ball, too. Along with Hill, the Saints were without multiple starting offensive linemen, and the defense was shorthanded with Demario Davis out and Tyrann Mathieu (groin) leaving the game early. The next four games, starting with the Chiefs on the road, look daunting. Can they get back on track?”
USA Today – 17 (-7)
“After a hot start, the Saints have lost two in a row. While it’s not a major cause for concern, it’s also not exactly reassuring.”
Bleacher Report – 15 (-5)
“Not that long ago, the New Orleans Saints looked like the hottest team in the NFL—the team peeled off 91 points in its first two games. But after losing a weird game to the Falcons on Sunday, the Saints have dropped two in a row and looked…well…the Saints have looked about like we expected.
The game was weird because the Saints defense kept the Falcons out of the end zone, but a special teams and defensive score helped propel Atlanta to victory. While talking to the media after the defeat, head coach Dennis Allen acknowledged that losing a game in which the Saints seemingly out-played their opponent was a tough pill to swallow.
“Those are the kind (of losses) that rip your heart out,” Allen said. “I know we’ve got a good football team in that locker room. Now, we have to play better. We can’t spot a team 14 points—a good team—and expect to win those type of games.”
Saints quarterback Derek Carr expressed frustration as well.
“You try your best not to be so angry about it,” said Carr. “But you hate losing, especially close ones. They stink.”
“The Saints started the season on an offensive hot streak, beating up on the Bryce Young-led Panthers and poking holes in Mike Zimmer’s suspect Cowboys defense,” Moton said. “Then, the Saints stepped up in weight class. Now, they’re facing defenses that will punch back, which is exactly what happened when Falcons linebacker Troy Andersen returned an interception for a touchdown. Saints play-caller Klint Kubiak has to refresh the offense to keep defenders on their heels.
“New Orleans also needs to get healthy on the defensive side of the ball,” he continued. “Linebacker Demario Davis (hamstring) missed his first career game last week. Safety Tyrann Mathieu (groin) and linebacker Willie Gay Jr. (hand) exited the last game with injuries. After a 2-0 start, the Saints could drop three consecutive games with a loss to the Chiefs next Monday.”
CBS Sports – 19 (-7)
“​​Their fast start now seems like a long time ago after two division losses. The injuries on the offensive line are concerning.”
Sports Illustrated – 19 (-3)
“Now we’ve gotten a four-game sample of the Saints in their new offense and the results are…not terrible. Despite Derek Carr not throwing a touchdown pass on Sunday, the Saints are 12th in play-by-play success rate and 5th in total expected points added per play. If I gave you those numbers regardless of record at the beginning of the season as a Saints fan, how many of you would have signed up for it?”
