By Ross Jackson
Sunday’s loss was a tough one for the New Orleans Saints. The Philadelphia Eagles did an excellent job limiting the Saints’ rushing attack and it had some major ripple effects that caused the otherwise explosive offense to go out with a whimper. New Orleans looks to rebound against the Atlanta Falcons next week.
But before turning the page, here are some of the most important numbers that tell the story of the positives and struggles throughout their Week 3 loss, aside from the score itself:
1.58 – The offensive line for New Orleans did not find much success paving the way for the team’s run game. Running back Alvin Kamara was given just an average of 1.58 yards before contact per Week 3 rushing attempts. In the first two games combined, Kamara was given 2.89 yards before contract. That means the team’s star rusher lost more than a yard per carry before contact. With 26 rushes, those yards would have put him well about 100 rushing yards on the day.
3.1 – The Saints averaged just 3.1 yards per rushing attempt against the Philadelphia Eagles. Through the first two weeks of the season, the team averaged 4.9 per carry. That dip tells the first story of the Saints’ loss: a stifled run game.
4 – New Orleans became just the fourth team since 2019 to lose a game after forcing two turnovers and blocking a punt in the same game with their loss to Philadelphia.
11.6 – Catching all six of his targets including one for a touchdown, Saints wide receiver Chris Olave ranked No. 2 in the NFL in Week 3 with his +11.6 receiving EPA. This metric translates yardage and scoring production into points scored to measure the value of a player’s performance relative to team scoring potential.
12 – Quarterback Derek Carr was under pressure on 12 of his 27 dropbacks on Sunday. He was pressured on just eight of his dropbacks going into the game.
18 – Both defensive ends Carl Granderson and Chase Young have combined to create 18 pressures on opposing quarterbacks so far that season. Per Next Gen Stats, the duo is tied for third among pressures generated across the league.
33 – After starting with an impressive 88.9% red zone possession to touchdown rate over the first two weeks, New Orleans converted only one of its three (33%) red zone possessions for a touchdown on Sunday.
269 – Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has helped find success for Carr in his play action heavy system. The Saints quarterback has piled up 269 passing yards off of play action, per Pro Football Focus, good for No. 4 in the NFL.
2019 – The Saints have the chance to start 3-and-1 for the first time since 2019 with a win against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4.
6,114 – Kamara moved up to No. 2 on the Saints’ franchise all-time rushing yards list with his 87-yard day against the Eagles. He now trails only former running back Mark Ingram, who amassed 6,500 yards on the ground over his two stints with the team.
