Well that wasn’t much fun. The New Orleans Saints lost an ugly game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, 26-9, and in a lot of ways it exemplified the style of football they’ve played under head coach Dennis Allen. This is how he wants his team to play. He has his quarterback, his play caller, his assistant coaches, and a roster largely made up of his handpicked players. What he doesn’t have are excuses.
So let’s break it down by answering three key questions:
- What went right?
- What went wrong?
- And what’s the bottom line?
What went right?
Honestly, very little went the way the Saints envisioned in this game — but Alvin Kamara made an immediate impact. He caught 13 passes, his highest single-game total since Week 3 in the 2020 season, so Derek Carr can definitely get the football to him more effectively than Jameis Winston or Andy Dalton did last year. But even then Kamara gained just 33 yards on those receptions. Whether he wasn’t being hit in stride or at the correct depth, he wasn’t creating the big plays we’re used to seeing from him as a receiver.
What went wrong?
This was the worst offensive performance we’ve seen from the Saints in years, and it all starts with Pete Carmichael. The Saints kept him as their offensive coordinator and play caller after a year of ineptitude last season, believing Carr could cure what ailed them — and they were wrong. It doesn’t matter if it’s Carr, Winston, Dalton, or someone else under center: Carmichael is holding this team back by being on the headset. He needs to go.
Everything looked difficult for the offense on Sunday. Carmichael repeatedly dialed up long-yardage plays in short-yardage situations with no quick outlet to attack the first down marker. Too often he sent all of the receivers streaking downfield on low-percentage targets when he could have settled for a quick conversion to live another down. Carmichael should not have been brought back after making all of these mistakes last season, and it’s time Allen and other team decision-makers own up to that gaffe and make a change. Passing-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry might not be better than Carmichael, but he can’t be worse.
And what's the bottom line?
This is a deeply flawed team that isn’t fun to watch. It’s a credit to the Saints fanbase that they packed the Caesars Superdome stands and hung around through the end anyway. But the future is bleak for this Saints team. Allen is who he is: a talented defensive coordinator who can’t handle greater responsibility as a head coach.
The Saints gave Allen everything he asked for this offseason. He got his quarterback, he hired his own assistants, he picked his own kickers and spent his own draft picks, and this is what he has to show for it. His plan hasn’t worked out and there needs to be consequences for it. Those should start by making a change at offensive coordinator, or at least in the chosen play caller.
Let’s take a big-picture view. The Saints are 2-2 and tied with the Atlanta Falcons for second-best in the NFC South. It’s very possible that they could figure some things out, win a game or two on the road these next few weeks, and keep telling themselves they have a viable path to the playoffs. They might be right. But it’s clear they have no business challenging real Super Bowl contenders as this team is currently constructed.
