One week removed from a phenomenal shutout victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New Orleans Saints fell apart. It was an ugly 20-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins at home. One that almost guarantees they miss the playoffs this season. However, the final score really didn’t show the big picture of this game.
The Saints were missing 22 active players due to health and safety protocols along with four assistant coaches. That was all on top of the many injuries they were already dealing with on both sides of the ball all season long. This Saints team has battled adversity all year but sometimes it is just too much to overcome in one game. Ian Book got his first NFL start at quarterback and got manhandled. Not only did he have zero run game to really work behind, but he also had an offensive line that was missing three starters and a wide receiving core that didn’t have Michael Thomas and Deonte Harris. Book ended the day with 135 passing yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. The first one came on a tipped ball on their first drive, a pass that would have been completed for a first down but instead got returned for a pick-six. His second came in the final minutes on a fourth down attempt when he got flushed out of the pocket and chucked up a random ball in the hopes of converting. Alvin Kamara had 13 carries for 52 yards and Mark Ingram pitched on four carries for 17. They really should have run the ball more but they just didn’t get enough time on offense to do so. Although, with all of those players out this team was down only 10-3 at the half while giving up a pick-six, that’s pretty impressive. Pete Werner looked great while filling in for Demario Davis and Cameron Jordan yet again got two sacks.
We got to give credit to the Miami Dolphins as well. They had a touchdown, two interceptions and eight sacks on the rookie quarterback. They were flying all over the field and utterly dominated the Saints offensive line the entire night. This defense is scary good, and their seven-game win streak is evidence of that. Plus, Jaylen Waddle is a superstar in the making over there. He had ten catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. The future looks really bright out there in Miami.
New Orleans now gets a bit of a break before taking on the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons to round out their season. Also, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially clinched the division title so congratulations to them! They are now fighting for playoff positioning these last few weeks and have two very easy opponents left up on their schedule. Next week I believe they take on the New York Jets. As for the rest of their division, it is likely neither of them makes the playoffs. The Buccaneers are likely the only team to represent the NFC South in the postseason.