A New Orleans Saints team that seemed very promising at the start of the NFL season is now performing really poorly.
After a 26-8 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, the Saints are facing their second six-game losing streak this century, the first one happening 19 years ago. Their last seven-game losing streak was in 1999 when Mike Ditka was the coach.
“We’ve got a lot of bad going on right now,” running back Alvin Kamara said bluntly. “I don’t think we’re a team that’s very committed to detail right now. … I don’t think we have pride in those things, because if you would, we wouldn’t have so many other ailments.”
As the losses have piled up, New Orleans has played worse. In their first two losses this season, the Saints had leads late in the games but couldn’t finish strong.
The last four games have been particularly tough, all lost by double digits, including three in a row by 18 points or more.
The latest loss hit morale hard because the Saints went into the game hoping that getting back several key starters would give them an advantage against the injured Chargers.
Instead, the Chargers showed how to handle injuries well, while the Saints revealed issues that go beyond just missing players.
The Saints’ play wasn’t completely without bright spots. Kamara and receiver Chris Olave both had over 100 yards from scrimmage, but their achievements were overshadowed by penalties and various mistakes that stopped their drives.
New Orleans’ defense played well, with three sacks and six forced punts, but they had a tougher job because they had to get back on the field quickly after the Saints’ offense struggled.
“The margin for error right now is small,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. “When we have opportunities to make plays, I think we have to be able to make the plays.”
The last two Saints coaches who went through losing streaks of six games or more were Jim Haslett in 2005 and Ditka. Both were fired after those seasons.
In three of the last six losses, the team was without injured starting quarterback Derek Carr, who is expected to return this week. If he does come back, the Saints can only hope he brings the energy they need, and that it’s not already too late.
