Ups and downs from Saints loss to Ravens in preseason opener

The New Orleans Saints kicked off the preseason last night with a loss against the Baltimore Ravens. Although losing isn’t ideal, it’s good that the team experiences trial and error now as opposed to trying to figure all of this out midway through the season. I’ll start off with what went horribly wrong yesterday and boy, do we have a few things to discuss here.

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Bad -

Turnovers were the running story of the game for the Saints. Turning the ball over 6 times is no way to win a game. Jameis Winston’s only interception came after a tipped ball that he had no control over, so he’s safe from the wrath of The Who Dat Nation for now. Taysom Hill’s interception was just a bad read on his part that Coach Payton went on record saying was just “miscommunication.” Fumbling remains another large concern. Latavius Murray’s fumble came after a seemingly promising drive from Hill that saw the Saints knocking on the door of a touchdown. The most costly turnover of the game came during the final two minutes of the game with Ian Book throwing a disastrous interception that sealed the game for the Ravens.

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Good -

Interception aside, Jameis Winston looked about as good as we’ve ever seen him. Most notably during the final 2 minutes of the first half, Winston put on a Drew Brees style march down the field that culminated in a touchdown. We saw him complete short passes to gain yardage and also still had the confidence and poise to remain focused with a Baltimore defense coming at him from all angles.

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

If any one individual stood out yesterday, it had to be WR Marquez Callaway. Catching 3 of his 4 passes yesterday for 61 yards, Callaway was worth every bit of hype he’s had over the summer. He seemed extremely comfortable on the field. The combination of Michael Thomas and Marquez Callaway will certainly be a duo that will cause headaches for defenses all across the league.

Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Next up for the Saints: the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 23rd.

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