The Saints couldn’t win the dogfight
The New Orleans Saints cruised through the season’s first two weeks with very little pushback. Although the dominant wins were nice, too much of a good thing can be bad. Sunday’s matchup with the Eagles was New Orleans’ first real challenge and they fell short. The score always remained close, and any team could take over at any moment. A loss is never celebrated, but now, you learn from your mistakes and correct them.
The offensive line’s issues weren’t easy to hide
New Orleans lost Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy during their opening drive and missed him heavily throughout the game. The Eagles’ dominant interior defensive line prevented the Saints from forming a consistent rush attack nulling their offense. The unit only allowed one sack on passing downs on the day, but the issues were still evident. After struggling to successfully run the ball, the Saints had to try and attack through the air without the benefit of play action. Coming into the season the Saints offensive line was a big question mark surrounding the team, but offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was able to hide the unit’s flaws. But that wasn’t the case against a strong Eagles pass rush that features premier interior defensive linemen.
The defense can’t hold on forever
The Saints’ defense did what they were doing throughout the young season, bend but don’t break. When Philidelphia would make their way into New Orleans territory the defense responded with a forced turnover or stopping the Eagles offense on fourth down attempts. The Saints defense forced a fumble, stole an interception, blocked a punt, and stopped the Eagles on fourth down twice. It wasn’t until the offense struggled to stay on the field that the New Orleans defense would start to allow bigger chunk plays. The Saints’ defense ended up breaking in the fourth quarter, some due to Dennis Allen being out-coached, others being an exhausted defense that had been on the field for the majority of the game.
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