Saints Offensive Line Showing Improvement

How a reshuffled offensive line has fueled the Saints offensive improvement.

The New Orleans Saints have played much better on the offensive side over the last three weeks. Now at 5-4 after back-to-back wins, the Saints have averaged over 412 yards of total offense the last four weeks. More importantly, New Orleans has capitalized much better in the red zone over their last two outings. 

Quarterback Derek Carr has been much more decisive with his decisions and accurate with his throws. Standout weapons Alvin Kamara, Taysom Hill, Rashid Shaheed, Michael Thomas, and Juwan Johnson have all had very good moments. 

One thing that has gone largely overlooked is the performance of a position group that was abysmal at the beginning of the year. 

Saints Offensive Line 

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) looks to pass against the Houston Texans. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

A combination of injuries and ineffective play caused New Orleans to use their sixth different offensive line combination of the year last Sunday. Despite the lineup shuffling, the Saints have quietly played better up front than their early season performances. 

After giving up 12 sacks and endless pressure in the first three games, the Saints have fortified their pass protection in recent weeks. Quarterback Derek Carr was not sacked at all for the first time all season last Sunday, a game where the Bears registered only two pressures on 35 passes.

Carr has only been sacked twice in the last three games as opponents Chicago and Indianapolis recorded only four QB hits in 64 pass attempts. While Jacksonville heavily pressured Carr three weeks ago, they only managed to sack him once on 56 dropbacks. Improved protection has allowed the Saints to average 300 passing yards in their last four outings. 

New Orleans has rushed for 360 yards over the last three games while averaging 3.8 per carry. It's still not an ideal number for a team that needs balance. However, consider that the Saints averaged less than 88 yards on the ground and 3.5 per rush through their first four contests.

On the right side, RT Ryan Ramczyk and RG Cesar Ruiz are closer to their usual form after uncharacteristic early season struggles. Ruiz and C Erik McCoy, along with the left guard spot, have still had some issues, but the interior improvements are noticeable.

The left side of the New Orleans line has been more of a revolving door. Three different players have started at both left guard and left tackle. The most prominent change up front came when LT Trevor Penning, a 2022 first-round pick, was benched early in October. 

New Orleans Saints guard Andrus Peat (75) blocks Chicago Bears defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91). Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY

Nine-year veteran Andrus Peat was moved over to left tackle. Is Peat ideal for this spot? Absolutely not. Even in his prime, Peat has always struggled with athletic pass rushers. It's the main reason he was moved to left guard after failing at both tackle positions earlier in his career. 

What Peat adds is experience and a physical mentality to the position. His pass protection issues are still apparent. This was especially true against Jacksonville's Josh Allen in Week 7. Allen had six pressures on Peat's side, yet didn't manage a sack.  

Peat has still proven to be an upgrade over Penning. He did a nice job containing Bears DEs Yannick Ngakoue and Montez Sweat last week. Sweat, Chicago's top pass rusher, managed just one pressure against the Saints, with that coming against Ramczyk on the right side. Peat's experience has also allowed New Orleans to be more efficient on screens, where RBs Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller have made big plays in recent weeks. 

Perhaps the most telling statistic on the Saints improvement up front is in the red zone. One of the biggest reasons for losses against Houston and Jacksonville, red zone woes have plagued the Saints all season. Over their last two games, however, they've converted seven of their nine opportunities inside an opponent’s 20 yard line. 

Better play-calling and better execution are two other big reasons for the improvement of the offense. However, the performance of a shuffling offensive line has fueled an offense that is much closer to meeting early season expectations. Their challenge now will be to continue this recent momentum.