Decades have gone by since New Orleans Saints home games were linked to many empty seats in a sad Superdome, with fans sometimes wearing brown paper bags over their heads in embarrassment.
At this rate, those times could come back sooner than we think. The Saints have lost five games in a row, with the last two losses each by over 20 points, both at home.
“I’ve been here eight years and I’ve never seen the dome clear out like that,” running back Alvin Kamara said after losing 33-10 to his former coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. “I can’t blame them. If I was a fan, I would leave too. Just being honest. It’s just people fed up.”
Coach Dennis Allen said on Friday there are “a multitude of reasons” why his team, which looked so good after winning big in Weeks 1 and 2, has dropped off so much since then. Injuries have hit the starting lineup hard since Week 3, especially on the offensive side.
“It’s extremely frustrating because I just feel like the first two weeks of the season, man, we were a really good football team,” Allen said. “And then each and every week as it’s gone by … it’s not just the number of injuries, it’s the injuries and who they’re to.”
Three offensive leaders—quarterback Derek Carr (oblique), center Erik McCoy (groin), and tight end Taysom Hill (ribs)—are among those missing. Right guard Cesar Ruiz (knee) hasn’t played since Week 3 either.
New Orleans’ top two receivers—Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed—were also out against Denver, leaving rookie starting QB Spencer Rattler to manage a makeshift team.
The missing players are “key cogs in our operation,” Allen said. “That’s tough to deal with.” Regarding Kamara’s comments, Allen said he understood.
“He’s being honest. I think we all are being honest. We haven’t put a good football product out on the field for the past couple of weeks. That has to improve,” Allen said. “I think everybody has the same frustrations.”
Allen told the team after the loss to take a few extra days off before their next game to be as mentally and physically ready as possible when they come back to the team headquarters next week.
Because they played on Monday night in Week 5 and Thursday night in Week 7, their last three losses have happened in an 11-day period when their team’s depth was really tested.
But if the losses keep coming, the current Saints roster and staff could start to break down, Kamara said, highlighting some tough truths about professional sports.
“Everybody’s jobs are on the line,” Kamara said. “That’s affecting people’s families. There’s things bigger than football that are affected by football.”
