The New Orleans Saints Bounce Back & Dominate the Raiders
This season for the New Orleans Saints has been up and down. So much so that some fans have already given up on the Saints. Well, the team responded to all the criticism on Sunday against the Raiders. The Saints bounced back and beat the Raiders 24-0
Let us begin with the Saints' defense. The Saints started the game by allowing some major yards on the ground to Josh Jacobs but then the team locked in and began to slow down Jacobs. Last year the Saints' defense was predicated on stopping the run. This year they have been subpar in that field. However today they held Josh Jacobs to 10 attempts for 45 yards. Literally, after the 1st quarter's big runs he slowed down tremendously.
Co-Defensive Coordinator Kris Richard stated during the week that tackling has got to get better and for the first time this season the Saints looked like they could tackle. The defensive line stepped up tremendously. 1st round draft choice Payton Turner really showed out as he got 2 sacks. David Onyemata got himself a sack, while Cam Jordan & Kentavius Street shared a sack, or rather both had .5 of a sack. Marcus Davenport really got in and made some good tackles as well. From tackling Josh Jacobs for a loss and forcing a punt to pressuring Derek Carr he played well even though he didn't get a sack.
Now the secondary for the Saints has flat-out been atrocious this season. Many fans wondered if the Honey Badger fleeced the Saints. Well, today the Honey Badger showed out and was Tyrann Mathieu again. Tyrann had 3 tackles and a crucial interception. He along with the rest of the secondary stepped up to hold Derek Carr to 15/26 with 101 yards and 1 interception
This Raiders team was the number three scoring team in the league and the Saints pitched a shutout. Maybe this defense that everyone thought should be one of the best in the league is finally showing up.
Now for the offense, this game was the ALVIN KAMARA game. After all the talk of trade rumors, Kamara isn't happy, or our running game is cooked Kamara shut all that up on Sunday. Alvin was amazing as he ran for 62 yards on 18 carries while nabbing one touchdown. But Kamara also did work receiving the ball as he had 9 catches for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns. The man said the Saints needed their swagger back and he definitely came out and did his part to help them find it.
Andy Dalton got the start for the Saints and he played well. He was 22/30 for 229 yards and 2 touchdowns. To me, it just seems that offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael just calls plays better for a quarterback like Dalton, so I wouldn't be surprised if he was the starter for the remainder of the year.
This was a game that the Saints desperately needed. In a division that is so weak, anybody can still win it at this point. So the Saints are by no means out of the race. They just need to continue to play like they played against the Raiders and go on a run. The talent has always been there the question is, is the swagger and heart there? And today it was!