Quit clowning around Gregg Williams, we’re going to need you to take this one seriously against your old team.
As Saints fans I think we all take a deep sigh of relief knowing the Saints are 2-1 going into this three game road stretch. While three straight games on the road in the NFL is a brutal ask, starting the season with @ Packers, vs. Bears and vs. Texans was a scary schedule with three solid teams. Being 2-1 at this point is as much as we could ask for. The next three games are on the road are against teams that pale in comparison when you consider: @ Jaguars (1-2 this year), @ Panthers (1-2), @ Buccaneers (2-1). Every Saints fan views these matchups as games against inferior teams that the Saints, even on the road, should win. Tampa is the toughest of this group and they’re an up and coming squad, but the Jags and Panthers both start rookie quarterbacks that we all hope Gregg Williams will feast on. But to quote Lee Corso, “not so fast my friend”. Still fresh on my mind are the inexplicable losses the Saints had last season to the Max Hall led Cardinals on the road and the Colt McCoy led Browns at home. In both games the Saints lost to teams that ended up with losing records with a rookie quarterback starting, teams they had absolutely no business losing to whatsoever.
It wasn’t career days by Hall or McCoy that cost the Saints these games, either. In fact, neither quarterback played well at all. Instead, it was self inflicted wounds that tipped the scales in these games. The Browns and Cardinals beat the Saints despite their quarterbacks, not because of them.
Quick recaps:
Max Hall threw for a whooping 168 yards, no touchdowns and 1 interception, but the Cardinals scored 3 defensive touchdowns. Brees threw 3 interceptions and fumbled once.
Colt McCoy threw for just 74 yards, but Brees threw 4 interceptions. The Browns scored 2 defensive touchdowns, ran a fake punt that gained 68 yards and threw a halfback pass for 13 yards.
Sorry to put you through the painful memory of those two games which were in my mind the two worst games in the Sean Payton era, but they should serve as a very clear reminder that regardless of your opponent you need to take them seriously. Combined, Hall and McCoy combined for an average of 121 yards passing per game, and they still both won. Yes the Saints’ offense is explosive, but these game show it can be it’s own worst enemy with turnovers. Now granted, Brees is currently playing at a much higher level right now, but I can’t stress enough how much of a trap game this could turn out to be.
Why? Well, first off, Blaine Gabbert is much better than the two guys I just mentioned and his ceiling is infinitely higher. Secondly, the Jaguars have one of the best running backs in the entire league in Maurice Jones-Drew. Lastly, the Jaguars are currently ranked #4 in the NFL in total defense. So while they’re 1-2, they play good defense and they run the ball well (#6 in NFL in yards rushing). If the Saints turn the ball over frequently and they give up defensive touchdowns, they can lose to anyone, and this Jaguars team is better than the Browns and Cardinals teams the Saints faced last year. The Jaguars really struggle to score points, but the Saints can make that task easier by giving them defensive touchdowns as they did against the Browns/Cards last year.
Now of course, the Saints have beaten formidable opponents before and since then. By no means am I saying this game shouldn’t be a blowout. On paper, the Saints are the much stronger team. But as always, there is no such thing as a guaranteed win in the NFL. The Cardinals and Browns games last year are a painful reminder of that. The Saints will be well served to take the Jaguars very seriously.
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