Game Recap: Saints vs. Jaguars

Another incredibly frustrating loss for the New Orleans Saints came on Thursday Night in the Superdome where they dropped their second game in a row to the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-24.

The offense was once again the topic of conversation in this one where they failed to take advantage in the redzone and could not sustain drives. The most crucial moments in the game came in the first quarter where they were awarded to back-to-back turnovers in Jaguar territory and only came away with 3 points.

When it came to sustaining drives, the numbers were abysmal. The team ended the night 3/18 on 3rd down, forcing them to go for it on 4th numerous times in order to keep drives alive. The communication this game didn’t seem to be any better either. There were some clear misses in this game where the receiver and the quarterback were not on the same page, putting a halt to those series. Through all the bad, the team managed to come up w some offense going up tempo late in the game, where they were able to score 15 unanswered points during the 4th quarter until a late Jags TD with three minutes left in the game. They even matched right back down the field in hopes of taking the game into OT but they fell short missing a huge opportunity on a potential TD pass dropped by TE Foster Moreau. That last quarter of play however was the best the offense has looked maybe all year. Will be interested to see if they utilize this up-tempo style of play to catch more of a rhythm in games to come.

The defense had a very similar game to last week’s game versus Houston. They started off really slow allowing the Jags to march down the field with ease giving the Saints a lot of creative looks and taking advantage of their aggressive style coverage with a lot of crossing routes. In the 2nd half, they were able to help the offense battle their way back by allowing only one touchdown late in the 4th. They did a phenomenal job of not allowing their top WR Calvin Ridley to do much of anything at all and getting the QB Trevor Lawrence and co. off of the field on 3rd down, where they finished 2/11 on the night. The part of the game where they struggled a bit was getting pressure on the quarterback. They finished the game with 0 sacks and allowed Trevor Lawrence 59 yards on the ground. There were numerous times where the rush was closing on but were not able to finish those plays. Not so worried about this front going forward, but it could’ve made a difference in this game for sure.

Special teams seems to be slowly falling apart right before our eyes. From promising starts to consecutive bad outings from the young guys. K Blake Grupe missed another field goal this week, this one from 51 yards out. He also came close to missing an extra point attempt off the left upright but luckily angled back into the net. P Lou Hedley also continued his struggles averaging only 42 yards per punt, not being able to really flip the field for his team. These struggles continue to be more and more alarming as they are increasingly critical due to the Saints offensive woes. If the offense can’t score, the special teams unit has to be almost if not perfect every game.

The Saints have a decent break to reflect and dissect what’s gone wrong with their team before they head to Indianapolis to face the Gardner Minshew-led Colts in Week 8. As the week’s go by, the urgency continues to increase, and fans are losing faith.

Can this team get it right?