Saints 14, Broncos 34
Saints Blow Opportunity to Make a Statement in 'Primetime'
Such high hopes were held coming into this game, it was one of those games that when you first looked at it on paper, it was a primetime matchup. The game failed to live up to any of that hype. There isn’t a ton of analysis needed, it simply boils down to our defense couldn’t stop anyone, and the offense couldn’t find success.
Broncos had much success on the night
Mcgahee needing a host of Saints to tackle him
One of the many problems of the night.
Defense Surrender 530 Yards
The defense is simply atrocious. This is not a gut reaction, it’s a reality. We have seen this now in each game. 3,323 yards have been surrendered through 7 games. For you math majors, that’s 475 yards/game. You can’t win games when you can’t stop the opposition. In looking at the bigger picture, I don’t think Spagnoulo is to blame, it’s the players. You think of the personnel that we have, and it seems good on paper, but through the performances we have seen, and especially last night…you start to wonder, throw out ‘what-ifs’, realize you miss someone like Tracy Porter in the secondary, and then come to the realization that you know that this defense will drastically change in the offseason.
Broncos had much success on the night
When Loomis comes back, I wouldn’t be surprised if it changes immediately. Patrick Robinson & Corey White have been victimized all season long, so last night was no different. The Saints played Nickel coverage all night long because we knew what Manning was capable of, and he spread the ball around (like Brees always does) to 7 different receivers on the night, and Willis McGahee churned out the yardage on the ground with 122. Even backup Ronnie Hillman was able to find success, running for 86 yards. Rodney Harrison laughed at our defense prior to this matchup, and was quick to say we wouldn’t get any sacks on Manning. He was clearly correct, as the defense hit Manning only one time on the night, and that came from Tom Johnson.
Mcgahee needing a host of Saints to tackle him
John Fox solves for Brees
The shocking reality & awkward moment when you see Brees hasn’t even hit the 200 yard mark, and it’s the 4th quarter. The Saints went 1 for 12 on 3rd down for the entire game. Drew Brees finished on the night going 22/42, 213 yards, 2TD, INT. Graham & Colston were targeted 10 times each, but only managed 5 receptions each on the night. Devery Henderson was a non-factor (targeted 4 times). We continued our trend in the run game, only managing 51 yards on the ground, forcing Brees to throw the ball down after down.
The shocking reality & awkward moment when you see Brees hasn’t even hit the 200 yard mark, and it’s the 4th quarter. The Saints went 1 for 12 on 3rd down for the entire game. Drew Brees finished on the night going 22/42, 213 yards, 2TD, INT. Graham & Colston were targeted 10 times each, but only managed 5 receptions each on the night. Devery Henderson was a non-factor (targeted 4 times). We continued our trend in the run game, only managing 51 yards on the ground, forcing Brees to throw the ball down after down.
One of the many problems of the night.
The scheme can be fantastic, but it comes down to execution. There was a clear lack of it last night. The game started well, but things went downhill quickly. It was agonizing to watch us play so poorly. I am not sure what type of spark is needed to ignite our defense, but at this point we’re easily two losses away (that’s being generous too) from hopes of just a Wild Card spot. Say what you will about the division race, but you can’t deny the Falcons having their own success. We really need teams to lose down the stretch to worry about that, but we have to win first.
We now turn our focus to the Eagles, who have had some major problems on both sides of the ball. It will be a prime time matchup, and we will be playing in front of the home crowd. In a battle of teams struggling, it should be entertaining to say the least.
No comments:
Post a Comment