Overreactions: Saints vs. Packers

The New Orleans Saints lost their first game of 2023 when they fell to the Green Bay Packers 18-17. After Derek Carr suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder, the Saints couldn't hold on to a 17-0 fourth-quarter lead.

Here’s a couple of the best overreactions from Saints fans:

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

“Lutz should’ve never been traded”

Saints fans are very angry with the undrafted free-agent kicker after he pushed a potential game-winning field goal to the right for his first miss of the season. Going into the game, he was 5-5 on the season and had made a field goal earlier in the contest.

Some people have even asked for Wil Lutz back. Why?

If you break down the numbers, it’s insanely similar. Lutz is 5-6 on the year while Grupe is 6-7. Kickers will miss kicks by pushing them a little too far to one side of the other. That's a part of the game. But if you’re going to call for Grupe to be gone after one miss, don’t jump back on the train when he’s cruising.

Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

“Carr is going to be out for months”

We were all incredibly nervous when Derek Carr was sacked in the third quarter and didn’t get up right away, but now we know the true diagnosis of his shoulder injury.

Carr has suffered a sprain of his AC joint in his throwing shoulder, which may be the best scenario for the Black and Gold as he is now considered week to week. Basically, it’s going to come down to how quickly Carr can recover and how much pain he is willing to play through. It’s very possible that Carr will return to the field Sunday against Tampa Bay. I wouldn’t count on it, but the fact that DA didn’t rule him out says a lot to me.

Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

“Saints defense wasn’t good Sunday”

Sure, they helped blow a 17-point lead and there were certainly silly penalties, but let’s pump the breaks on bashing what has been one of the best defenses in the league so far.

The reason they struggled late is the frequency in which they were on the field after the Saints offense couldn’t find a rhythm after Carr left. Winston looked panicked, the running game went away, and Lou Hedley had more punting reps than you probably wanted.

I think the Saints will be fine, especially since Alvin Kamara comes back this Sunday and we’ll wait on the timeline from Carr, but 2-1 through three games is a good place to be.

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