What We Learned From the Saints In Week 13
NEW ORLEANS -- The Saints showed they weren't going to roll over and play dead after getting into a 21-0 hole just 10 minutes into Sunday's game against the Lions. While New Orleans battled back and put up a valiant effort, the result was still the same, as the team lost their third straight game. At 5-7, things are still possible with five games left in the season, but Dennis Allen's team has so many things to figure out to get into that space and it feels unobtainable. Here's many things we learned about the Saints after Week 13.
What We Learned From the Saints In Week 13
Dec 3, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) celebrates a touchdown while setting the Saints rushing touchdown record with 53 against the Detroit Lions during the second half at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
LIONS FANS TOOK OVER THE SUPERDOME
The product on the field will do that to you, but there was a tremendous showing of Lions fans out there today. You heard plenty of 'Let's Go Lions' chants and them making their presence felt. Looking across from the press box, there was a big sea of blue behind Detroit's bench and took up tons of seats today. Other fan bases have traveled well in the past, but not to this extent. I'd never thought I'd see this day, but here we are.
ALVIN KAMARA SET A FRANCHISE RECORD
Kamara had one rushing touchdown taken off the board after tying Mark Ingram's 52 rushing touchdowns. Midway through the fourth quarter, Kamara broke the record and is now the franchise's rushing touchdown leader. Overall, he had a 20 touches for 109 yards and a score. Getting him the ball is a smart thing at times.
DEREK CARR'S STATUS FOR PANTHERS GAME IN QUESTION
Derek Carr is in the concussion protocol, but that's not going to be the only hurdle that he has to deal with this week. In addition to the concussion, Carr has a shoulder and back injury. The hit from Bruce Irvin drew a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty, and Carr stayed down on the field for a few minutes with the cart even being called for him. He was able to sit up and walk to the sideline, but later left the field. Jameis Winston may get the start against the Panthers, but we'll see how things go during the week.
LOSS OVERSHADOWS SOME GOOD
Believe it or not, the Saints went 4/4 in the red zone today. That and the performances by Chris Olave and Taysom Hill will certainly get overshadowed here. New Orleans added an extra day this week to incorporate more work on the red zone, and the result was actually positive. This whole lack of playing complementary football is both perplexing and frustrating, but I will say they did look a lot better aside the first ten-minute stretch of the game. There's been so much potential for the Saints this year, but they aren't getting the results.
ROOKIE TIGHT END SHOWS OUT AGAINST THE DEFENSE
Sam LaPorta certainly had himself a day, finishing with career-high 9 catches for 140 yards and a score. He caught all of his targets and proved to be a huge thorn in the Saints defense's side. The problem here is that this is not the first time we've seen this. T.J. Hockenson put up a similar effort when they played the Vikings, and I get a lot of the emphasis was put on Amon-Ra St. Brown (2-49-TD), it's still something to see how this feels like it's becoming a liability.
THE SAINTS ARE GOING BACKWARDS
Losing three straight will certainly put things in perspective, especially because at the end of the day you are what your record says. It feels so long ago that they were 5-4. Dennis Allen says the team will continue to chop wood and feels like they can still breakthrough, and players also feel it can be done. However, time and games are not on their side. The Panthers and Giants are up next, and there's no reason New Orleans shouldn't get back to 7-7, but that's much easier said than done.
BEN JOHNSON SHOULD BE COACHING NEXT YEAR
A lot of eyes saw this matchup on FOX, and if anyone has been paying attention, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is a hot name that's being floated around for a head coaching job in 2024. It was a tremendous audition for those who watched the game, and he does a great job putting his best players in a position to do what they're good at. The Panthers might be an ideal landing spot for him, but there's still a lot of things left to sort out obviously.
