NFL Week 13: Saints Storylines to Follow Leading Up to the Rams Game

Back off the bye, there's plenty of Saints storylines to watch this week before they host the Rams on Sunday.

Nov 17, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill (7) celebrates a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns with New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Saints are back in action on Tuesday after a week off to refocus and recover. New Orleans has had quite a showing under interim head coach Darren Rizzi two games into his tenure, and will now face an interesting test with the Rams coming to town.

The team isn't technically out of a playoff push, but the division seems like their only realistic path to get there. Here's some things we are paying close attention to with the Saints hitting the field this afternoon.

Saints Storylines to Follow - Week 13

Nov 17, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi reacts to a play against the Cleveland Browns during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Health Watch

The bye week came at a good time for some players to get healthy or at least get back into the mix. Lucas Patrick (ankle) and Jamaal Williams (groin) are among those who we would anticipate returning to practice in some form or fashion this week. What we're paying attention the most is Erik McCoy, who left the Browns game due to a groin injury. Darren Rizzi said following the win that he believed McCoy would be okay in the long run and that it was a good thing the Saints had a bye week. We'll see where he's at and in what capacity he'll be in.

A Different Weekly Flow

The Saints aren't having a traditional practice on Thanksgiving, something that Darren Rizzi was adamant about when addressing the media last week. Tuesday will be Wednesday. Wednesday will be Thursday and then the team will be able to enjoy their Thursday for the most part. One of Rizzi's biggest challenges for his team was to come back with the same mentality that they had prior to the bye week.

Rizzi said, "Sometimes when you step away from a minute or two, it can be easy to lose track, lose focus. So, just coming back, getting some down time, everybody getting healed up, getting the bodies right, getting some good recovery in, at the same time coming back with a focus and a purpose."

An Opportunity To Flip the Script

Last year's matchup against the Rams ended badly for a variety of reasons. The Saints didn't start that game strong. Matthew Stafford was hot. Puka Nacua went off, and New Orleans was out of it going into halftime trailing 17-7 after allowing a last-minute touchdown. In that game, Alontae Taylor got benched. He was playing in the slot and then rebounded the following week.

Since taking over as a starter, it's been a mixed bag for the third-year cornerback. Taylor can play, but he and Kool-Aid McKinstry are going to have their hands full with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. This game will be won in the trenches for the Saints, so it would be nice to see them generate a more consistent pass rush against Stafford. Sunday presents a great opportunity for Taylor to show his best stuff, and he'll be a focal point.