Biggest Takeaways after Saints get demolished by Buffalo

Thanksgiving 2021 is one to forget for fans of the New Orleans Saints. After many fans stuffed their turkeys with sides and trimmings, they got to witness their Saints get stuffed by the Buffalo Bills 31-6. To make matters worse, former Saints quarterback great Drew Brees was in attendance calling the game, albeit not as the signal caller the Saints need him to be, but as a color commentator for NBC. His presence there only exacerbates the angst in Saints fans during this current stretch of putrid quarterback play just how fortunate we were to witness Brees’ greatness all these years. He was there to receive all the love and adoration so deservedly belonging to him for his tenure here as he was to be honored at halftime, though not many got to see it. He was honored, but NBC decided instead to show a replay about the generosity Bills quarterback Josh Allen shows to others. While that might be admirable, NBC should have maybe cut the game short for Saints fans and have Brees’ halftime celebration be the thing that Saints fans could be happy about that night. TV programming choices withstanding, here are a couple takeaways I had from the game on Thursday night.

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I think all Saints fans can unanimously agree that it’s time for the Trevor Siemian experiment to end. Yes, he was thrust into action after the season ending injury to Jameis Winston and while he has played because of injury to Taysom Hill (concussion, foot), if Hill is anywhere close to ready then he needs to play. 4th Quarter Trevor (as I dub him) is what he is, a journeyman backup quarterback and that’s ok. He just shouldn’t be the starter any longer barring zero setbacks to Taysom’s foot. Don’t get me wrong, full blame cannot be placed on him. He is playing with an injured offensive line, pedestrian receivers at best and down his top 2 running backs. However, when you look down at your phone at halftime and you have a higher battery percentage than the Saints have total yards then it’s time a for change. Taysom at least brings another element to the game with his running ability. He can become another weapon on the field. Trevor at times, holds the ball too long, stares down receivers and is a deer in highlights in the pocket. I’m not expecting Taysom to be the second coming for the rest of the season, but I can expect him to at least make something happen on the field. At this point on offense, I want to at least see something happening.

What now?

The team is marred by injuries. There is no if, ands, or buts about it. The team they trotted out Thursday night looked like a final preseason game 4th quarter squad, especially on offense. They are losers of 4 straight games and have scored a grand total of 13 points combined in the first half of these games. Yet, this team is technically in the playoff hunt tied with Minnesota and a bunch of other teams for the final spot. They also have a favorable schedule remaining where 4 of their last 6 opponents currently have a losing record. You imagine some of the injured players will start to return at some point and then you could potentially make a run at a playoff spot, could you? Or would you not want to rush back key players like Alvin Kamara, Ryan Ramczyk, Marcus Davenport and have them fully heal and not re-injure something? We don’t have to use the “T” word here, but positioning yourself better in the draft next season may not be a bad thing considering you will need some direction at quarterback and having some additional playmakers at wide receiver alongside Michael Thomas next season looks like it is a must as well. The next couple of games will surely dictate the stretch run at the end, but it is a fascinating proposition in front of the Saints. No, you never want to lose now, but you can set yourself up to win later.

These were a couple of my quick thoughts about the game last Thursday. What did you notice or takeaway from the game? Sound off in the comment section below. The Saints come right back on Thursday again as they host the Dallas Cowboys at the Caesars Superdome.

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