The Saints dropped a game in Arizona against the Cardinals today and it was about as ugly as it could possibly get. The fact that Arizona’s offense couldn’t muster any sort of production and that they were starting rookie Max Hall (pictured), gave the Saints no excuse whatsoever for this defeat. The loss drops the Saints to 3-2 and in third place in the NFC South, thanks in part thanks to wins by the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mostly to blame for this terrible performance was the offense, who once again didn’t perform anywhere close to standard. On to the game bullets:
— Ladell Betts cost the Saints dearly in this one. He dropped a pass inside the Saints’ 5 that deflected into the hands of a Cardinals’ defender for an interception. Later, he fumbled and it was returned for a touchdown. The Saints lost 23-20, and you can pin 14 of those points on Betts.
— John Carney missed a 29 yard field goal. I guess re-signing him was only beneficial for a week. His onsides kick effort was terrible.
— Danny Clark was fantastic in run support. Looks like he’s solidified a roster spot.
— Drew Brees just doesn’t look that great so far this season. I wonder if he’s a little burnt from a non-stop party all offseason long. This was arguably the worst performance in his career as a Saint.
— The Saints just didn’t run the ball nearly enough early, then almost ran the ball too much late. Where was the sense of urgency on that drive with 6 minutes left? I blame Sean Payton there.
— There is no excuse for burning 2 timeouts in 3 plays. NONE.
— The Saints gave up 153 yards passing, and 41 rushing. Defensively, you can’t ask for a better performance. The fact that the offense couldn’t get the job done despite that kind of effort is really sad. This offense has really declined in ability in just 10 short months. They need to do better.
— Robert Meachem was not playing through 3 quarters, but came in left and made a few plays. Maybe it’s time the Saints include him in the gameplan?
— Alex Brown finally got a sack. Nice to see him play with good effort and passion.
— Colston’s 7 catches for 97 yards makes it look like he had a really good game, but there was a number of plays out there that he missed with drops.
— Patrick Robinson looked pretty good in extended action. I think the rookie has a lot of promise.
— The Saints are at Tampa next week. I’d say that should be a guaranteed win, but it doesn’t really seem like there is such a thing for the Saints this season. I hope they get Pierre Thomas back.
That’s all I’ve got. I’m disgusted.
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