What we learned from Saints vs. Raiders

The New Orleans Saints came into this game coming off one of their worst losses in recent franchise history after losing 34-0 to the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. But just one week later, the Saints followed up that embarrassing loss with another getting dominated by the 4-12 Las Vegas Raiders.

Spencer Rattler needs receiver help and he needs to help his receivers

The Saints are touting a wide receiver core of a big chunk of players that weren’t on the team in week one. After losing promising stars Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, the lack of depth in the wide receiver room for New Orleans became a glaring problem. Receivers were dropping balls left and right on Sunday for the Saints’ offense. Some of the drops are due to the unnecessary zip rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler puts on the ball and the majority comes from mistakes from the receivers.

Rattler continues to show a strong glimpse of promise that shows he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL, but the makeshift receiver room and the lack of protection from the offensive line continue to negate any development. There is a lot for the rookie quarterback to work on, but New Orleans needs to surround Rattler with talent to help him develop.

The run defense is bad… like really really bad

Veteran running back Ameer Abdullah has been a solid player in the NFL since he entered the league in 2015. Despite being in the league for so long and appearing in 140 games, the veteran back has yet to run for 100 yards in a single game. Abdullah’s 100-yard rushing game drought came to an end in his 12th season in the league on Sunday against the Saints. The New Orleans rush defense has been one of the worst in the league throughout the season and there has been a lack of improvements and adjustments.

Rizzi’s campaign is fading

Head coach Darren Rizzi was the obvious choice for the interim job after Dennis Allen was let go. Rizzi is loved in the locker room and has interviewed for head coaching jobs in the past. Despite all the positives for the former special teams coordinator, Rizzi’s record has fallen to 3-4 with wins over low-tier teams. The Saints have been outscored 59-10 in their last two losses including being dominated by the 3-12 Raiders. Many intriguing coordinators who come from high-powered offenses and defenses are looking to get their first head coaching gigs. Rizzi has coached a Saints team dealing with a plethora of injuries and drama, but the team’s bad record and performances on Sundays haven’t done Rizzi any favors in achieving a head coaching job.

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