The New Orleans Saints fell at home to the Cincinnati Bengals in an extremely winnable game. Both coaches and players can share blame in this one. There are some important things to figure out as the team is now 2-4. Luckily for them, the division is pretty weak so the season isn’t lost yet.
Buy Saints TicketsHere are all of the standout performances from the loss, both good and bad:
Studs: Offensive line
The offensive line is certainly owed some credit despite the loss. The Saints dominated in the run game, averaging over 6.7 yards per carry. Multiple big plays in the run game opened up by great blocking. They also held up pretty well against the Bengals pass rush, with the only sack coming on a play where Dalton held the ball way too long. It has been a very improved group.
Dud: Coaching
The coaching staff really fumbled the bag in the second half. Way too much of settling for field goals and not playing aggressive enough. They abandoned a lot of what worked in the first half and it really came back to bite them. Taysom Hill was looking like he was on pace to have another great week, but wasn’t used well in the second half. Rashid Shaheed had a great 44 yard run, and then never saw the field again on offense. Just some interesting choices when you’re out your top three receivers.
Stud: LB Demario Davis
In no shocking news, Demario Davis is very good. He continues to be one of the only players on this team you can count on to show up from week-to-week. He had two big sacks in this one and led the team in tackles. His ability to create pressure from the linebacker spot is so crucial to this team.
Dud: Tackling
Tackling efforts were incredibly poor today by most of the defense, but especially the secondary. There was just no one wrapping up and the Bengals were able to create big play after big play because of it. It seemed like they were able to pick up extra yardage on almost every play. It was a problem for pretty much everyone, a sneaky problem that was brought with the Marshon Lattimore injury. He’s usually a solid tackler, team needs him back soon.
Studs: Saints fans
The fans deserve a lot of credit for an absolutely wild atmosphere in the Superdome for this one. There were worries that with the LSU connection of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase that the crowd would be split with an influx of Bengals supporters. It wasn’t an issue at all, Saints fans showed out and were loud all game long. They even forced the Bengals to burn a timeout in the fourth quarter.
Dud: S Tyrann Mathieu
It pains me to say, but the Mathieu signing has been a dud so far this season. I don’t know if it’s him or how he’s being used, but something needs to change for the rest of the season. There hasn’t been much about his role that has contributed to winning football. Mathieu is still a good football player, I’m confident that they can work it out.
