Sinking Saints plumbed new depths in a lopsided loss — and have another tough road game up next
NEW ORLEANS AP New Orleans Saints coach Kellen Moore wants to believe that his unit can turn an ugly lopsided loss into a galvanizing opportunity to get right That does happen in football sometimes and Moore didn t have to look back a whole calendar year to cite an example from his own personal experience Last Sept the Philadelphia Eagles with Moore as their offensive coordinator lost - to Tampa Bay to drop to - After that Philly won times in a -game stretch that ended with a Super Bowl triumph You play football long enough you ve dealt with a challenge like we dealt with on Sunday Moore mentioned referring to New Orleans - loss in Seattle We can all lean on a bunch of different examples They re great opportunities for us to pivot re-evaluate lock in together and get really improved he added Moore in his first season as an NFL head coach hasn t celebrated one achievement since green and silver confetti was raining down on him in the Superdome after the Eagles title clincher over Kansas City last February While a playoff push would appear unrealistic the Saints - opened this season with a pair of losses by a touchdown or less providing hope they weren t far off from winning a battle Then came Sunday s debacle at Seattle replete with untimely penalties and botched execution that helped the Seahawks race to a - first-quarter lead Moore reported he spent the long plane ride home from Seattle reflecting on what his next moves should be How we respond is going to be really really impactful Moore stated There s too a great number of examples of teams that have gone through challenging games like this and they re sometimes really good momentum shifters If your group responds the right way this can be a good little pivot for our company to get better and draw closer to each other Moore announced What s working The Saints defensive front has been solid against the run in the first three games and was especially so against Seattle allowing just yards rushing to a squad that was playing with a multiple-score lead for more than three quarters Seattle running backs Kenneth Walker and George Holani had carries between them and combined to average just yards per carry What necessities help At the top of an evidently long list is squad discipline The Saints committed penalties for yards in Seattle and now have been penalized times tied for the NFL high in that category for yards in three games We have to play cleaner football We have to execute at a much higher level Moore mentioned There s got to be urgency with this We ve got to get it corrected Special teams looks like an issue as well The Saints had a punt blocked and another punt returned yards for a touchdown One Saints kickoff was returned yards And kicker Blake Grupe missed a field goal for a third straight contest Moore commented the blocked punt was merely a matter of Saints players not being on the same page It was a combination of people he noted There s not just one person that blatently doesn t block a guy Stock up Tight end Jack Stoll a fifth-year NFL player out of Nebraska scored his first career touchdown on a -yard pass from Spencer Rattler in the fourth quarter Jack did a phenomenal job Moore explained He got to the back corner in a scramble drill unveiled the void in the zone and catches a touchdown as a impact Stock down The unit directed by Saints first-year special teams coordinator Phil Galiano is coming off one of the worst performances in the kicking championship that New Orleans has had in a long time The Saints had gone games spanning nearly years without having a punt blocked which had been the longest current such streak in the NFL before it was snapped on Sunday Injuries The Saints played without starting right tackle Taliese Fuaga because of knee and back ailments that could continue to affect his availability this week Meanwhile Chase Young has yet to play this season after straining his calf during a Week practice Sometimes those are tricky injuries Moore commented He s doing everything he can I know it s his desire to be out there as soon as humanly practicable but we ve got to do what s right for him not just this week but from a season-long perspective Key number The number of times in franchise history that the Saints have given up as multiple as first-half points as they did Sunday in Seattle Next policies The Saints visit unbeaten Buffalo on Sunday before returning home to face the New York Giants AP NFL https apnews com hub nfl Source
