After winning eight straight games, the New Orleans Saints fell 26-20 to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12. The Saints were fortunate to lose by such a small margin as Los Angeles gained 415 total yards, but had to settle for field goals on four drives. Following the loss, New Orleans has dropped to fourth place in the NFC, while Los Angeles moved ahead of the Saints into third place.
Week 12 New Orleans Saints Takeaways
Saints Passing Offense Mostly Ineffective
A big part of the Saints success during their eight-game win streak was their balance on offense. However, they fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter, which put more pressure on quarterback Drew Brees. New Orleans didn’t convert on a third down play until late in the second quarter. Saints receivers struggled to gain separation from Rams defenders, and Brees had only 96 passing yards at the end of the third quarter. The passing game finally got going in the fourth quarter, and Brees managed to finish with 246 yards and a 101.8 passer rating. New Orleans rallied to score 10 points in the final 11 minutes, but it was too little, too late.
Determined Performance by Alvin Kamara
Rookie running back Alvin Kamara was the lone bright spot in the Saints loss. In the first quarter, Kamara gave the Saints offense some life as he broke two tackles on a 74-yard touchdown run. Kamara also picked up a first down on a reception two drives later after breaking several tackles. On another play, he hurdled a Rams defender, similar to his stunning leap over a Lions defender in week six.
Kamara gave the Saints life in the fourth quarter with a 33-yard reception on a fourth down play. This catch and run set the Saints up at the five-yard line, but they had to settle for a field goal a few plays later. Kamara added a 15-yard touchdown reception later in the quarter.
The standout rookie finished with 101 receiving yards on six receptions, but despite his long run in the first quarter, he was given only four more rushing attempts. Since fellow running back Mark Ingram averaged just 2.8 yards on 11 rushing attempts, more carries should probably have gone to Kamara.
Pass Defense Struggles Again
New Orleans allowed 300 passing yards last week against the Washington Redskins after starting cornerback Marshon Lattimore was injured early in the first quarter. Ken Crawley, the other starter at cornerback, suffered an abdomen injury that flew under the radar until the Saints injury report was released last Wednesday.
New Orleans clearly missed both players as Rams quarterback Jared Goff threw for 245 yards in the first half alone. Goff finished with a 96.5 passer rating as he completed 28 of 43 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns. The Saints week two loss to the New England Patriots was the only game this season where they surrendered more passing yards
P.J. Williams and De’Vante Harris replaced Lattimore and Crawley, and struggled mightily for the second week in a row. Williams did intercept a bobbled pass in the fourth quarter, but he was penalized multiple times, including a pass interference infraction on a deep pass that moved the Rams into field goal range. Harris was beaten in coverage on the Rams first touchdown pass, and was noticeably out of place on a few plays. Eventually he was replaced by Sterling Moore, but he didn’t fare much better.
While Williams and Harris were the most obvious culprits, several other Saints defenders gave up big passes. Safeties Kenny Vaccaro and Vonn Bell both gave up a handful of catches and missed tackles. Linebacker A.J. Klein was beaten on the Rams second touchdown pass, although the catch may not have happened if safety Marcus Williams had remained in place in the back of the end zone.
One of the Saints biggest strengths now appears to be its biggest weakness yet again. After giving up an average of just 148 passing yards between weeks three and 10, New Orleans has allowed 300 hundred or more yards passing in the last two games. The Saints did this in weeks one and two, and the defense is starting to regress back to its early-season form. While some of the poor play can be blamed on Lattimore and Crawley’s absences, the Saints defense shouldn’t be so dependent on such inexperienced players.
