5 Questions before Week 3 vs. Green Bay

You are what your record says you are, and the New Orleans Saints are 2-0. It certainly hasn’t been pretty, but the Saints rather win ugly than lose pretty. Wins matter in this league and they don’t matter how you get them. But the Saints need to get better because they won’t go far playing like this offensively. But defensively they are at an unreal pace right now and if the offense can figure it out, they are among the best in the NFC. Next up, a tough NFC opponent, the Green Bay Packers. Here are the five biggest questions heading into week three.

Offensive Line?

Great question. I don’t know. It is fair to say that the run game got better. But besides that, there wasn’t any improvement in the pass protection. Simple stunts are beating the Saints unit way too easy and often. Do the Saints look to Andrus Peat at any point if they don’t improve? Derek Carr has gotten sacked 8 times in two games and hit much more.

What will the run game look like without Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams?

Saints rookie Kendre Miller is good to go on Sunday and he should be the bell cow. The Saints also signed Tony Jones Jr. to the 53-man roster after a great performance in Week 2. The Saints also need to lean on Taysom Hill because he’s been extremely efficient.

How will the Saints fill the void of Marcus Maye?

Rookie Jordan Howden has seen a ton of snaps this season at deep safety so he will be the number one option for that spot. They also have Lonnie Johnson who has starting experience and Jonathon Abram on the practice squad that they could elevate. And of course, they have the special teams ace J.T. Gray who has a little experience playing in that role. No question losing Maye is a big hit, but they will manage.

How can the Saints incorporate their weapons better?

Michael Thomas seems to only get the ball in the first half, Chris Olave in the middle of the game, and Rashid Shaheed at the end of the game. There hasn’t been much production from any of the TE’s so far, Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau have been targeted a couple of times. There is no question Pete Carmichael has shown improvement but there needs to be a threat at all times that any player on the field can beat you. It seems like the offense is being rushed right now because of the issues on the offensive line.

Can the Saints defense keep up the pace and lock down Jordan Love?

When asked about the amount of TD’s the defense has given up, DA said “I wish it was zero”. There is no complacency or pats on the back in the defensive rooms, they want to be the best and not let anyone in the endzone. Jordan Love is basically a red shirt rookie, he has very little starting experience. He looked decent in week one and real iffy in week two. There are question marks at LT and RB for them right now due to injury. The Saints defense could and should feast on Sunday.

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