Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
With no opponent on the way this weekend as the New Orleans Saints enjoy their Week 11 bye, it’s time to check in to see how the team has stacked up over its first 10 games.
The off week gives Saints head coach Kellen Moore and his coaching staff an opportunity to self-scout, exploring changes and adjustments to their approach moving forward. In order to better understand what might follow the bye, understanding where the team ranks across the league now will provide appropriate context.
Scoring Offense vs. Scoring Defense (Points Per Game)
Saints Offense – No. 30 (15.5) | Saints Defense – No. 23 (25.0)
While the Saints found some promising success with quarterback Tyler Shough behind center last week, the team’s 17-point outing didn’t do much to improve their scoring situation. With beatable opponents on the way through the remainder of the season, however, things could quickly progress.
Similarly, Brandon Staley’s defense found a lot of success against the Panthers, but that one game alone isn’t enough to make up for some of the misgivings against the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. Without many high-octane offenses on the docket following the bye, there’s some good opportunities to build some momentum before going into what is sure to be a busy offseason.
Point Differential
Saints – minus-95 (No. 31)
New Orleans helped itself with a 10-point victory last week, keeping them well ahead of the league’s worst differential, the Tennessee Titans (minus-127). But the Saints are still more than 10 points behind the No. 30 team, the Cincinnati Bengals, who hold a minus-84 gap.
Passing Offense vs. Passing Defense (Yards Per Game)
Saints Offense – No. 20 (204.4) | Saints Defense – No. 10 (193.7)
The Saints have had a steady increase in passing production, ranking five spots better on passing yards per game over their last three contests. After trading away wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, there was concern that New Orleans lost its big-play threat. However, the team found some downfield production from wideout Chris Olave and tight end Juwan Johnson. New Orleans will benefit from getting another pass-catcher, perhaps big-bodied receiver Devaughn Vele, involved down the stretch.
The Saints’ passing defense has consistently hovered around the top-10 across the league in passing yardage allowed. The issue for the unit has been the number of short fields it’s faced and passing touchdowns it’s allowed. With 18 surrendered, the Saints’ pass defense ranks No. 23 in scoring. Keeping pass-catchers out of the end zone will be the next big step for this unit.
Rushing Offense vs. Rushing Defense (Yards Per Game)
Saints Offense – No. 28 (92.8) | Saints Defense – No. 21 (123.8)
The Saints’ rushing defense has been one of its more inconsistent game phases. One game, the team is letting up over 200 rushing yards to the Chicago Bears, the next it holds the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under 100. Only to then follow up with 171 surrendered to the Rams and 73 allowed against the Panthers. This area has been a real Jekyll and Hyde situation for New Orleans.
As for the rushing offense, this has been a source of real disappointment. The expectation with the hire of Moore as head coach was that the run game would be a real focus. However, the attack simply hasn’t been good enough to present a threat. New Orleans has run for over 100 yards as a team four times this season, but that does include its most recent game. Perhaps the Saints can find a way to turn a corner in their ground game after the bye, much like last year’s Philadelphia Eagles whose offense was run by Moore. Alvin Kamara, in particular, looked like his vintage self in Week 10 and rookie Devin Neal shows some promise.
Turnover Differential
Saints – minus-3 (T-No. 19)
New Orleans won the turnover margin last week against the Panthers for only the second time of the season. In both games that the team has won this year, that’s been the case. At 2-8 on the year, the takeaway and giveaway count have proven to be a true discerning factor in wins and losses for the club.
Third Down Conversion Rate
Saints Offense – 38.8% (No. 17) | Saints Defense – 38.1% (No. 15)
The Saints struggled in both of these categories early in the season. Since then, they’ve slowly improved each week. The Saints just had their second-most successful day in third down conversion percentage on offense. Much of that success was due to Shough and his outstanding third down passing production.
Pressure Rate Allowed vs. Generated
Saints Offense – 36.6% (No. 22) | Saints Defense – 30.9% (T-No. 26)
These are both areas New Orleans would love to improve after the bye week. The defense, which has notched 21 sacks in the year (good for a tie for No. 18 in the league), would benefit from being able to generate pressure more consistently. The return of defensive end Chase Young, has been a promising pivot point suggesting that could happen.
Young made his debut in Week 6 against the New England Patriots. Before his return to the lineup, New Orleans generated pressure on 28.6% of defensive snaps, No. 29 in the league. Since Week 6, that number has shot 34.9%, No. 19 in the NFL.
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