The good, the bad, and the ugly from the Saints loss to the Buccaneers

The Good: Having Alvin Kamara Back

Despite the loss, it was still good to see running back Alvin Kamara back on the field for the New Orleans Saints. Kamara ran the ball 11 times for 51 yards and also caught 13 passes for another 33. He was unable to find the endzone but given how the offense has gone thus far it is still good to see the best playmaker on the team back out there.

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The Bad: Turnovers

The Saints turned the ball over three times on Sunday, the wort of which was a fumble by FB Adam Prentice that set up a Tampa Bay Buccaneers touchdown. Later a fumble by Carr and an interception by Jameis Winston iced the game in the fourth quarter. The Saints now have more turnovers than touchdowns on offense this year, a shocking stat that really is a summation of how the season has gone so far.

The Ugly: Coaching/Play calling

The Saints offense has been abysmal basically the last three years. They went from averaging around 30 points per game from 2017-2020 to under 20 from 2021-now. Losing a Hall of Fame quarterback will do that of course, but with all the same playmakers (and the addition of Chris Olave) and the same offensive coordinator, it was fair not to expect this much of a drop off. The Saints offense hit rock bottom on Sunday, only managing 9 points against a Bucs defense that had been very average so far. The play calling against the Bucs was inexplicable. Why does a fullback who had 13 touches in two years suddenly get 3 plays go his way despite the return of Alvin Kamara? Why on third and one do you call a pass play with almost every route being almost 10 yards deep? Why does Chris Olave finish the game with 1 catch for 4 yards? Why does almost every play result in a checkdown? Why not draw up more screens or jet sweeps for your quickest player in Rashid Shaheed? Offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael has completely lost the confidence of the fanbase, and after what we saw on Sunday and what we have seen for the last few years, it is very easy to see why.

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