Sobering Lessons We Learned About the New Orleans Saints In Week 17

The Saints continue to be in a position where they need to learn a lot about themselves, and the lessons are clear and obvious.

Dec 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) passes to wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. (11) against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

NEW ORLEANS -- The Saints season is almost at its end, and that is great news for most. New Orleans was supposed to come into the Superdome on Sunday and beat up on the lowly Raiders. This game was supposed to leave the fans with something positive. It did not.

The Saints looked like a team that checked out or just isn't good. Both can be true. They played like a team that is 5-11. New Orleans lost 25-10, but it felt like it could have been worse. Here's some things we learned.

The Defense Needs Massive Changes

This Saints defense is lost. They aren't executing and there is no consistency in how they play. They started the game surrendering a 17-play drive. They had a chance to get off the field and they shot themselves in the foot. They're going to get lit up by Tampa and Baker Mayfield, and it might get really ugly really quickly.

The Saints defense gave up another 90-yard-plus drive for the second straight week. There's just no answers there, and honestly there is little encouragement to be had too. A defensive-minded coach isn't coming in here fix this mess overnight.

If you really want to drive this point home, then look at where the Raiders were this season coming in. They had the worst rushing attack, putting up just 77 yards/game on the ground and the 28th-ranked offense with just over 300 yards/game. They finished with 388 total net yards and 156 rushing yards. Oh, Ameer Abdullah, who is 31, just had a career-best 115 rushing yards. The next closest was 94 from 2017.

Darren Rizzi Probably Isn't The Next Head Coach

Dec 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi greets New Orleans Saints running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (23) before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Look, Darren Rizzi had the opportunity here, and maybe you could have used this game to help go into the final week to boost the resume. However, these past two games have showed that either the team has quit or they're just not as good as they ever thought they were.

Let's be clear, Rizzi was given a crappy hand to start with, but where did that team who was so excited to take the field and play for him against the Falcons go? He'll still get an interview, but hiring a new head coach will most assuredly mean that they're going to have to replace Rizzi.

Give Us Anything Different

The Saints don't have any type of magic bullet here to fix their situation. They're just gonna have to endure and embrace that there are dark days ahead. You can hide behind injuries all you want, but it wouldn't have made a difference in producing a playoff team. It might have got you 7-10 at best.

New Orleans has to be honest with their situation. They cannot turn a nose up to what is fundamentally wrong with the team. The Saints have major work to do in the offseason, and you can just slap a patch on it and rebrand it as something new. It's going to be years before they can field something legitimate, if they take things seriously.

Since Drew Brees called it a career, the Saints have seemingly been able to go lower and lower on the scale of disappointment. This team might look completely different when they suit up for Week 1 of 2025, and maybe that's for the best.

Another Tale of Two Halves

Dec 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) throws against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Spencer Rattler used the word 'frustrating' or 'frustrated' six times in his short presser following the game. The Saints offense shot themselves in the foot.

Going into the half, they did have some momentum. Rattler was playing well, posting 11/13 for 146 yards and a touchdown with a 28-yard run to start the Saints' offensive day. His throw to Kevin Austin Jr. might have been one of the best ones he's made. However, he finished 20/36 for 218 yards with the TD and 2 picks. He also had some bad drops by his receivers, which certainly didn't help.

I was excited to see that there could have been a silver lining in this game due to his play, but that second half was just tough all around. Like Rattler said, it was frustrating.

More From The Game

• The Saints scored 91 points in their first two games. You'd have to add up the past six to top it (92).
• Since the bye week, the Saints have put up 57 points.
• Darren Rizzi: "Just not a good enough effort by everybody today."
• Rizzi provided some injury updates. Kendre Miller has a concussion. Marquez Valdes-Scantling has a re-aggravation of the back injury. Jaylan Ford has a lower leg injury. It was announced as a fibula in the press box. He left on a cart with an aircast on.
• The Saints didn't convert a 3rd Down until the very last part of the game. They finished 1/10.
• Cam Jordan wants to keep playing football, but Sunday surely felt like a sendoff of sorts. He's been a bright spot since he got more playing time, and that's now 49 different players he's sacked after taking down Aidan O'Connell.