Saints Offense Needs to Come to Life

Regardless of who plays quarterback for the Saints on Sunday, they have to finally be able to deliver on offense.

No matter who starts on Sunday, whether it be Derek Carr or Jameis Winston, the fact is that the Saints offense really needs to find themselves against the Bucs. The team has gone nine straight games without scoring over 20 points, and they're flirting with some NFL history if they continue that trend. Needless to say, it's been a tough road for New Orleans dating back to last year and even beyond that.

The Saints have not had the greatest track record in recent memory against Tampa, being swept by them last season and only mustering up a combined 26 points between the losses. Their last win came on Dec. 9, 2021 when they shut the Bucs out 9-0, and it was just a little before when they put up 36 points in a win back on Oct. 31, 2021.

Saints Offense - Under a Microscope

New Orleans enters Sunday as the 21st ranked offense with 944 total yards, averaging 314.7 yards/game and 4.8 yards/play (T-20th). They're 39.1% on 3rd Down (18/46), which ranks 16th in the NFL. Scoring wise, they are 25th in the league with 17.7 points/game. Here's how they stack up vs. the rest of the teams in other categories.

Naturally, one of the biggest focal points will be the protection for whoever does end up playing quarterback. There will be some shifting this week with Cesar Ruiz out with a concussion, which means Andrus Peat will be at left guard and James Hurst at right guard for Week 4. 

Throughout the first few contests this season, New Orleans has allowed 12 sacks. For perspective, 2022 saw the unit give up 38 total sacks and 2021 finished with 37. Being almost a third of the way there in just a handful of games is certainly troubling.

Alvin Kamara vs. Buccaneers - By Game

Credit: USA Today Sports

Getting Alvin Kamara back will be a massive injection for the team, but it's worth pointing out how well the Bucs have held him in check over the years. With Kamara in the lineup, New Orleans is 8-3 against Tampa. You might could say he's due for a big game. Here's a breakdown of his stats against them.

• 12/5/22 (17-16 Bucs) - 12 carries, 26 yards (2.17 YPA), 2 receptions, 11 yards (3 targets)
• 9/18/22 - Did Not Play
• 12/19/21 (9-0 Saints) - 11 carries, 18 yards (1.64 YPA), 2 receptions, 13 yards (6 targets)
• 10/31/21 (36-27 Saints) - 19 carries, 61 yards (3.21 YPA), TD, 3 receptions, 15 yards (4 targets)
• 11/8/20 (38-3 Saints) - 9 carries, 40 yards (4.44 YPA), TD, 5 receptions, 9 yards (6 targets)
• 9/13/20 (34-23 Saints) - 12 carries, 16 yards (1.33 YPA), TD, 5 receptions, 51 yards (8 targets), TD
• 11/17/19 (34-17 Saints) - 13 carries, 75 yards (5.77 YPA), 10 receptions, 47 yards (10 targets)
• 10/6/19 (31-24 Saints) - 16 carries, 62 yards (3.88 YPA), 6 receptions, 42 yards (7 targets)
• 12/9/18 (28-14 Saints) - 12 carries, 51 yards (4.25 YPA), 5 receptions, 36 yards (6 targets)
• 9/9/18 (48-40 Bucs) - 8 carries, 29 yards (3.63 YPA), 2 TDs, 9 receptions, 112 yards (12 targets)
• 12/31/17 (31-24 Bucs) - 9 carries, 44 yards (4.89 YPA), TD, 6 receptions, 84 yards (7 targets), 4 kick returns, 155 yards, TD
• 11/5/17 (30-10 Saints) - 10 carries, 68 yards (6.80 YPA), TD, 6 receptions, 84 yards (7 targets), TD

Saints Offense vs. Bucs (Past Four Games)

Dec 5, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) is chased by Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum (27) in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

• 298 yards (66 rushing, 232 passing), 5/18 on 3rd Down
• 308 yards (100 rushing, 208 passing), 4/13 on 3rd Down
• 212 yards (61 rushing, 151 passing), 3/16 on 3rd Down
• 361 yards (152 rushing, 209 passing), 5/14 on 3rd Down

New Orleans has certainly had their fair share of opportunities in the past two seasons in the post-Drew Brees era. Those aforementioned four games against Tampa saw Jameis Winston (Trevor Siemian in relief), Taysom Hill, Winston, and Andy Dalton start against them in each game. If Carr does play against Tampa, he's 1-1 against them from his time with the Raiders, losing in 2020 and winning in 2016.

Aside the protection, play calling certainly plays a large part in the offensive struggles. Pete Carmichael Jr. has accepted a good bit of the blame for the issues, as you'd expect. Questions get raised when we don't see as much Juwan Johnson like we thought we would, or when you have inside 3rd-and-5 situations where you dial-up deeper routes. It's an area that has to get better, and we haven't exactly seen the 'mad scientist' we were supposed to see after Sean Payton left.

The general thought for everyone is that with the talented trio of receivers in Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and Rashid Shaheed, Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller as a one-two punch, sprinkling in Taysom Hill in the right situations, and then feeding your talented tight ends in Jimmy Graham, Juwan Johnson, and Foster Moreau should produce a way better product out there. 

On paper, this is one of the most talented offenses that the Saints have had in quite some time, and they're going to have to figure out how to unlock their true potential at some point. The good news? It's still early in the season. Regardless, we can't go another week seeing the same things again. It'd be a great time to see it on Sunday against Tampa, but it's also easier said than done.