Category: 2024 season

Cameron Jordan only needed six letters to react to last-second Rams loss

Cameron Jordan only needed six letters to describe the reaction in the Saints locker room after their last-second loss to the Rams:

There’s a lot you could say about the New Orleans Saints’ loss tot he Los Angeles Rams last week. It was another missed opportunity to right the ship and salvage a season some would say has already been lost. It was a waste of a great effort by Cameron Jordan and the defense, who pitched a rare shutout in the first half. It was something of a disaster as star playmakers like Taysom Hill went down with season-ending injuries. And there were elements of encouragement when backup wide receivers like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kevin Austin Jr., and Dante Pettis came through in clutch moments.

But Jordan needed just one six-letter word to describe the mood in the locker room after players walked off the field, having taken a 21-14 loss after leading for most of three quarters.

“Pissed,” Jordan told reporters after the game. “We let one get away. We don’t have enough time to let one get away.”

He’s not wrong. The Saints are barely holding on as the NFC playoff picture gets painted without them. They’re 4-8 and even playing in a weak division won’t be enough to squeeze them in for January’s playoff tournament. They can’t afford to lose any more ground.

Jordan, specifically, is someone running out of time. The longest-tenured player in New Orleans is facing a decision on retirement this offseason with just one year left on his contract; his workload has been reduced at times as the team has tried to rotate younger players into the lineup to try and find a spark. These next five games might be his last five games in a Saints uniform.

So letting an opportunity to beat a team that’s given them so much trouble over the years is frustrating. For the stakes to be as high as they are? Doubly so. Things might have gone differently if the offense could have ended more drives with points early on, or if protection had held up half a second longer on their final play from scrimmage — allowing Derek Carr to find an open man in the end zone right as Juwan Johnson stepped into a hole in the Rams’ coverage.

But that’s a whole lot of words to achieve the same result Jordan did in just one. The Saints don’t have time to harbor regrets or vent frustrations. All they can do now is focus on their next game and go to work.

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Rookies on both sides proved their potential in Saints vs. Rams

Jared Verse registered six pressures and the game winning play, but Taliese Fuaga allowed 0 pressures all game. The future’s bright for both:

Jared Verse absolutely wrecked the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. It was the rookie edge rusher who hit Derek Carr’s arm as he was throwing to win the game for the Los Angeles Rams.

One person he didn’t run through was fellow rookie Taliese Fuaga. Ironically, on that game winning play Fuaga was right there, but Verse rushed against tight end Foster Moreau. Credit to Los Angeles for how they schemed that pressure.

The Fuaga versus Verse was the battle we wanted to see, and both rookies lived up to the billing. Verse registered six pressures on the day but Fuaga didn’t allow a pressure the entire game.

Fuaga continues to be the bright spot of the offensive line. Sometimes an unit gets beat so bad everyone shares the blame, but Fuaga handled himself great in pass protection.

On 41 pass blocking snaps, Fuaga allowed pressure zero percent of the time. There were snaps he lined up in front of Verse, but it wasn’t the main event we were hoping for.

Instead, Verse wrecked the game by rushing from different places and Fuaga walked away with another clean game. Both teams feel more than satisfied with their first-round pick.

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Former 4th-round pick a pleasant surprise for Cowboys after free-agency signing

Carl Lawson has been great for the money, but can he keep it up with DeMarcus Lawrence returning? | From @ReidDHanson

Carl Lawson wasn’t a free agent the Cowboys went out of their way to acquire lst offseason. Only after injuries took Sam Williams away did the Cowboys actively pursue the six-year veteran (missed all of 2021) and even then, it was a non-committal effort, cutting him once and only signing him to the practice squad later.

Further injuries sustained to the Dallas defensive end group eventually pushed Lawson onto the active roster, and the 29-year-old edge has rewarded the Cowboys with four sacks (third on the team) and 13 quarterback hits (also third) in a rotational role that’s encompassed 10 games. His output hasn’t lit the world on fire, but considering the time and circumstances surrounding the player, he’s done quite well by the team.

Lawson has carved out a good role for himself in 2024. Playing primarily on passing downs he’s effectively taken over the role played by Dante Fowler a season ago.

Even with the return of fellow DE Marshawn Kneeland, Lawson is seeing a consistent workload in a consistent role. It’s made him a strong value player on the Cowboys defense and a pleasant surprise in a season full of disappointments.

To keep things in proper perspective, 2024 is Lawson’s second-lowest graded season of his career. He’s not enjoying a breakout or even a resurgence in Dallas. But at a contract price of $1,125,000 he’s paid off extremely well for a guy the Cowboys signed late and out of utter necessity.

With DeMarcus Lawrence set to return as soon as Week 14, it will be interesting to see where Lawson fits into the rotation. Lawrence is considered the superior player in both phases of the game, and taking the field on obvious passing downs, will likely reclaim at least a portion of Lawson’s pass rushing snaps.

The Cowboys’ best pass rushing duo from the edge is universally seen as Micah Parsons and Lawrence. Osa Odighizuwa has established himself as the top interior pass rusher and DeMarvion Overshown (second on Cowboys in sacks) is the best blitzing option.

Lawson’s next big step will be to play with as much impact as he did before with less snaps and a greater proportion of them on running downs. He still figures into the rotation, but opportunities may not be as teed up as they have been.

If Lawson can still be an impactful rotational player once Lawrence returns, he might figure into Dallas’ plans at DE next season. While Lawrence will probably leave in free agency, Williams is set to return from his knee injury. As a high-end pass rushing prospect, Williams should get most of the pass rushing snaps in 2025, provided a speedy recovery from his ACL. As such, Lawson would be required to play a supportive role much like what’s about to be asked of him this season when Lawrence returns.

Lawson has proven to be well worth the price of admission in 2024 but now he’s auditioning for 2025.

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The NFC South stands alone in the worst way possible

Every team in the NFC South has lost at least three games in a row after the Falcons fell to the Los Angeles Chargers. No other division can claim that:

The Atlanta Falcons’ loss to the Los Angeles Chargers extends their losing streak to three games. This now gives every member of the NFC South a three-game losing streak at some point in the season. The division is a mess from top to bottom — just check the latest standings.

No other division has achieved this in 2024. Matter of fact, there are five divisions with at least one team that has no more than three losses. The NFC North has three of them.

Until this week, the New Orleans Saints had owned the longest losing streak of the season. The Las Vegas Raiders took the mantle with their eighth consecutive loss.

The NFC South is the worst division in the NFL, and their only real rival is the AFC East. The advantage the latter has is the Buffalo Bills are one of the best teams in the league. The rest of the division is on par with the NFC South.

The problem is the NFC South doesn’t have that one team that stands out. The Buccaneers and Falcons are tied at the top of the division and don’t possess a winning record. Even with that low ceiling, the Saints and Panthers don’t seem like they have a chance. That’s the truest indictment of the division.

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Bryan Bresee on track to lead the NFL’s defensive tackles in sacks

Sacks aren’t everything for a defensive tackle, but there’s a lot to be said for leading the league in them. Bryan Bresee is on track to do just that:

Sacks aren’t everything for a defensive tackle, but there’s a lot to be said for leading the league in them. And Bryan Bresee is on track to do just that. The New Orleans Saints’ second-year pro is up to 6.5 sacks through 12 games, a big improvement over his rookie numbers (4.5 in 17 games). That ranks second-most in his position group.

So who’s on top? That would be New York Giants star Dexter Lawrence, with 9.0 sacks in 12 games for himself. But Lawrence’s season has ended on injured reserve after he suffered a dislocated elbow. He isn’t expected back in 2024, which sets a clear goal for Bresee to chase through these last five games. His next challenge comes against Lawrence’s teammates on the Giants, who have allowed 40 sacks as a team. That’s tied for seventh-most. For comparison, the Saints have allowed the seventh-fewest quarterback sacks with 23.

This would be an impressive achievement for Bresee if he can get there, but he’s already made some big strides through two years in the NFL. It’s encouraging that he’s improving, but he isn’t a finished product just yet. He’s still getting pushed around and washed out on running downs. He struggles to disengage against an opponent advancing uphill. If he can continue to learn on the job and make improvements, and clean up that part of his game? The sky might be the limit for the young pro.

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New Orleans Saints still don’t know which QB they are facing vs. Giants

The New Orleans Saints are still awaiting clarity on which New York Giants quarterback will take the field this weekend — Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito:

The New Orleans Saints are still awaiting the New York Giants decision on which quarterback they will be playing during their Week 14 matchup.

It felt like a longtime coming, but the Giants finally moved on from Daniel Jones a couple of weeks ago. Since then, both Drew Lock and Tommy Devito got their chances to start games. The results were eerily similar as New York also lost both games. Lock mostly got the start due to DeVito dealing with a forearm injury. Neither quarterback should scare this Saints defense, but knowing who they are facing would certainly help a game plan.

If DeVito is healthy, he will probably get the nod. Still, both quarterbacks have their positives and negatives. Lock started last week and completed 66% of his passes this season for 178 yards and one interception. He also picked up 57 yards and a touchdown on four rushes. The former second-round pick is the much more experienced option, but has a clear ceiling on what the Giants are willing to do with him under center. They don’t dial up much deep for him, at least to much success.

DeVito’s one game this season was pretty much the same. He completed 68% of his passes for 189 yards, picking up 32 yards on the ground from seven carries. The Syracuse product is clearly the fan-favorite, and could bring a little more excitement to a home game, but also doesn’t have the same juice that he had when he took over last season.

New Orleans might prefer they start DeVito, as they were able to handle him last year in a 24-6 win.

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Surprising Saints rookie leads his position group in NFC Pro Bowl votes

After the first week of Pro Bowl voting, it’s New Orleans Saints rookie punter Matthew Hayball ahead of his peers in the NFC:

With the start of the 2025 Pro Bowl voting starting officially just week ago, we have received our first update on the current leaders of each position group in the league. You can cast your vote here.

As the New Orleans Saints have fallen apart with many injuries sustained over the course of the year, it was highly unlikely that they’d have any Pro Bowl players let alone a top vote-getter.

Turns out, that just might not be the case. Undrafted rookie punter Matthew Hayball currently leads the NFC in Pro Bowl votes at his position. Quite a pleasant surprise, isn’t it?

For those who may not know, Hayball is currently first in the NFC with 29 punts pinned inside the 20. That’s eight more than the next-closest player.

Diving a little bit deeper into the statistics, one may say that Hayball has punted 50 times this season tying him for third most the conference. However, in comparison to the punters’ ahead of him in this category, Hayball has been far more efficient in terms of forcing opponents into poor field position.

Hayball also ranks in the top five in total punt yardage and touchbacks but for the most part is somewhere between average and the bottom of the conference elsewhere. This is likely indicative of Hayball not having the biggest leg but makes up for it with his ability to accurately place his kicks.

Credit to special teams guru, now head coach Darren Rizzi, as well as the teams scouting department for locating Hayball this offseason. The Saints potentially have their long term solution at the punter position, after years of searching for Thomas Morstead replacement, a former franchise hero and Super Bowl XLIV champion.

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Kendre Miller to be ‘all gas, no brakes’ after return from injury

The move from Dennis Allen to Darren Rizzi took Kendre Miller out of the doghouse. It should lead to greater usage when he returns from injured reserve:

Kendre Miller’s New Orleans Saints career hasn’t really been able to get off the ground due to injuries. Injuries have limited the former third-round draft pick to just 10 games in two seasons.

The frustrating part about Miller is you see why the Saints selected him when he plays. He only played in two games and carried the ball nine times this year, but he looked like a great complement to Alvin Kamara.

And Miller may have the chance to truly showcase this upon his return now that Darren Rizzi is the coach. Dennis Allen was publicly critical enough to assume he and Miller had a bad relationship in private.

It was reported Miller didn’t need to be put on injured reserve, and that was a Dennis Allen decision. The change at head coach takes the running back out of the doghouse.

Per LouisianaSportsDotNet’s Ross Jackson, the plan is for Miller to be “all gas, no brakes” when he comes back from a hamstring injury. That could be as early as this week against the New York Giants.

Miller should see plenty of carries per game if this is the approach. The Saints will be without Taysom Hill for the rest of the season, and Miller should be the secondary rushing option over Jamaal Williams.

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NFL trade deadline pickup debut likely happens vs. former team

Marshon Lattimore hasn’t played since being traded from the Saints, and it seems his first game with his new team will be in New Orleans:

Things appear to be shaping up for Marshon Lattimore to make his debut with the Washington Commanders against his former team.

The New Orleans Saints made their biggest splash at the trade deadline in recent memory when they traded Lattimore to the Commanders. The trade wasn’t overly surprising. There was apparent discontent between the parties, and Lattimore dealt with long-term injuries in recent seasons.

Lattimore had missed one game with the Saints due to a hamstring at the time of the trade. That one game has turned into five games after his move to Washington, but things are looking up for the cornerback.

This week was the first time Lattimore participated in practice. He still missed the Commanders’ Week 14 game versus the Titans, but it’s a sign he’s closer to returning to action.

The Commanders’ next game is against New Orleans, but first Washington has a bye week. This means Lattimore has two weeks to be physically ready to step on the field. By that point, it’ll be nearly two months since he injured his hamstring.

Many Saints fans circled this game after the trade, but it being Lattimore’s first game back is a surprise.

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Darren Rizzi offers scant details in postgame injury report

The Saints suffered some significant injury issues over the weekend, but Darren Rizzi offered scant details in his postgame injury report:

The Saints suffered some injury issues during Sunday’s 21-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Two of the most notable ones were to offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri and Swiss army knife Taysom Hill.

Saldiveri suffered a knee injury in the third quarter of the game and was carted off of the field. This really hurt the Saints up front, considering the team had already lost Erik McCoy and Lucas Patrick, who Saldiveri was specifically filling in for.

No updates have been provided on his condition to this point, outside of the fact that he was set to go for further imaging after the game. Interim head coach Darren Rizzi said he didn’t want to speculate about either of them.

Hill was also carted off of the field during the game after he took a helmet to the knee.

At the time, he led the team with 5 catches for 37 yards and carried the ball five times for 10 yards. It is the third time this season in which Hill has had to leave the game with an injury. Previously, he had suffered cracked ribs and a bruised lung.

He is one of the most loved players by the fan base, with many questions prompted after he had to exit the game.

The update provided on him most recently was not an optimistic one, coming from a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport that indicated he thought Hill would be out for the remainder of the season, which was confirmed after imaging on Monday morning.

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