The New Orleans Saints lost 33-10 to Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos on Thursday night in Caesars Superdome. A team that was once 2-0 and the talk of the NFL is now 2-5 with no signs of turning things around. Here are three things we learned about the Saints after their latest defeat.
Throwback Thursday
The Saints wore throwback uniforms, then threw it all the way back to the days when fans wore paper bags over their heads. The Saints really couldn’t have played much worse than they did in this one. The offense struggled mightily, which shouldn’t have come as a surprise considering all the injuries that unit is now dealing with. But that doesn’t excuse the sloppiness, including one third-quarter drive when the Saints committed penalties on three of four plays. That attention to detail falls on Dennis Allen and his staff.
Defense is cooked
The one thing you could usually count on with Allen is that his defense would be reliable. Those days look to be over with. This wasn’t the Kansas City Chiefs or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the last two opponents that shredded the Saints’ defense. This was Denver, a team that came into the game ranked 29th in the league in yards per game. By halftime, the Broncos had already racked up 242 yards of offense. They could have had much more than if rookie quarterback Bo Nix had been more accurate. They finished with 389 yards. Ouch!
Now what?
The Saints' losing streak is now at five, the longest since Sean Payton’s final season in 2021. The good news is the Saints now get a mini-bye before playing the Chargers on Oct. 27. The bad news is the issues they have, particularly on defense, can’t be fixed in 10 days. It doesn’t help that both starting cornerbacks left Thursday’s game with injuries. Paulson Adebo (right knee) had to be carted off, which is never a good sign, and Marshon Lattimore left the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. The Saints’ next two games are at the L.A. Chargers and Carolina Panthers. Both of those games will be tough wins the way the Saints are playing now. Things aren't pretty.
