Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Which Saints have been the most underwhelming so far this season?
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The New Orleans Saints have achieved a 2-1 record through the season’s first three weeks, but it wasn’t easy getting here. At times it’s been ugly and frustrating. Expectations were high — too high — for some players, and the team is worse off for it. But these four players have just been disappointing, and need to turn it around in a hurry:
Saints’ remaining strength of schedule rated 11th easiest in NFL
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Rest-of-Season NFL Strength of Schedule based on my current evaluation of each team
Green = Easy
Red = Hard pic.twitter.com/1xcuqM449S— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) September 28, 2021
Check out this chart from ESPN’s Mike Clay, who ranked all 32 teams’ strength of schedule with their remaining opponents. And that benefits the New Orleans Saints in a big way: they’ve got his 11th-easiest remaining road to go. Not too shabby.
Of the Saints’ 14 remaining games, only 6 of them are scheduled against teams that currently have a winning record. That includes their two-game series with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) in Weeks 8 and 15, a Week 10 road game with the Tennessee Titans (2-1), the Week 12 Thanksgiving night game against the Buffalo Bills (2-1) and the following week’s Thursday away game with the Dallas Cowboys (2-1), and a pivotal Week 17 home game versus the Carolina Panthers (3-0).
Then again, this is only a projection. Any team can win in the NFL on any given Sunday no matter the odds, and the Saints shouldn’t take that for granted. They’ve been surprised by seemingly-weak opponents before. Let’s hope they remain focused on each week’s matchup and prepare accordingly.
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Former Saints free agent target Richard Sherman visiting Buccaneers:
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One notable NFL free agent is on the move. NFL Network reported that cornerback Richard Sherman is visiting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday, potentially bringing him into the NFC South. The New Orleans Saints contacted Sherman themselves during the open signing period back in March, but couldn’t agree on a contract.
After the Saints selected Paulson Adebo in the NFL draft, Sherman suggested the team wasn’t a good fit for him despite open spots on the depth chart. The team continued to bring in experienced players like Prince Amukamara, Brian Poole, and Desmond Trufant, but to no avail. They eventually acquired Houston Texans corner Bradley Roby in a last-minute trade before Week 1.
Ironically, Adebo has played well enough to keep Roby sidelined, but this is one position group where you can’t have enough viable options.
If he signs with Tampa Bay, Sherman could possibly suit up against the Saints when the Buccaneers make the trip to New Orleans for a Week 8 matchup on Halloween. His play has trailed off with age but he’s still an effective player when healthy, and would do a lot to help tighten up the Buccaneers’ secondary after injuries knocked two of their three starters (Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean) out of the lineup.
Tom Brady has made a habit of recruiting free agents before, and it looks like he’s trying it again for another Super Bowl-or-bust season.
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Did Sean Payton break Jameis Winston by fixing Jameis Winston?
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If I’d gone back before the season started and predicted Jameis Winston would exit Week 3 with seven touchdown passes against two interceptions and a 2-1 record, I probably would’ve drawn a lot of skepticism. But here we are.
Sean Payton has coached Winston into correcting some of the mistakes that plagued his NFL career so far. He hasn’t fumbled once in three games after doing so 50 times in his first 72 games. He’s thrown two interceptions on 63 pass attempts, a rate of 3.2% — his lowest interception rate since 2017, and the third-best of his pro career. He’s still put the ball in danger more often than you’d like, but he’s making tangible progress.
But at what cost? Winston has already taken 7 sacks, putting him on track for the second-most sacks of his career. He’s shown a willingness to take a sack and shield the ball with both hands on his way to the turf when nothing is open downfield, which is smart. Trying to force something and risk a turnover is what got him bounced out of Tampa Bay.
Here’s the bad news. This strategy has worked, for the most part, except in high-leverage situations when under pressure. His miraculous touchdown pass to Marquez Callaway could have just as easily been an interception had a defensive back been in better position. When things break down around him and he’s out of options, Winston is still throwing recklessly.
Those bad habits are never fully going away. It’s been a part of his DNA dating back to Florida State’s run in the College Football Playoff way back when. He’s always going to have bad snaps where he just heaves the ball as high and far as he can, praying that Mike Evans or Deonte Harris or Kelvin Benjamin is somewhere down there to bail him out.
What’s concerning is that Payton’s no-nonsense coaching is starting to bleed into Winston’s more routine plays. As observed by Pro Football Focus’ Seth Galina, Winston wasn’t just taking a sack when he had to. He was passing up opportunities to make a play with receivers running open downfield:
I thought Jameis' play in the first half against NE was inconclusive mostly on account of the interior offensive line. Concerning, however, is him not pulling the trigger on important throws in the 2nd half that will bite the Saints in the ass in the future: pic.twitter.com/eVYkZjWjcf
— Seth Galina (@pff_seth) September 27, 2021
This is similar to what we saw from Teddy Bridgewater during his extended stint as a starter in 2019, and again from Taysom Hill in 2020 — drawing the ire of fans for not pulling the trigger when the look was there. It’s a byproduct of the unreal standards Drew Brees set over so many years in New Orleans, setting impossible expectations for his successors. Like the fans, Payton has grown used to turnover-free football. But when Brees was able to protect the ball while also slicing up defenses to find the open man, the quarterbacks following after him are falling short. They’re hesitating to take the shot for worry of something going bad.
That’s a far cry from the Winston we’ve seen before, who was fearless to a fault. Credit to him for being receptive to coaching, but it might have gone too far. He’s got to hang in there and make a play when it’s available. You can always take a sack and live to try another down, but you can only do that three times before you’ve got to punt.
Things should look different in just a few weeks once receivers Tre’Quan Smith and Michael Thomas return from their injuries to liven up the offense. That gives Winston some more proven options to work with and opens up Payton’s playbook. As Brees himself pointed out Sunday night, Winston is new to this offense. So are most of his supporting cast. Once more experienced players get in the mix we should see the whole unit’s confidence take a boost and its efficiency rise with it.
Hopefully we’ll get to see more of the big arm and vertical passing element that was hyped up all summer. If Winston continues to leave big-play opportunities untouched, we’ve got something to worry about.
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A defensive touchdown score topped his impact plays all over the field. Malcolm Jenkins is the Saints player of the game for Week 3:
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It was tough to single out one player as the best on the field for the New Orleans Saints this week. Marshon Lattimore made a compelling case in his triumphant return from hand surgery, capping their win over the New England Patriots with an interception after locking up every receiver they lined up against him. Demario Davis was worthy, you, showing off the sideline-to-sideline speed that fans coveted for years before his arrival.
But in the end I went with Malcolm Jenkins. The veteran safety was all over the place on Sunday, and his highlight reel-worthy defensive touchdown coming out of halftime is just one bright moment among many. Credit him for being in the right spot at the right time to snag a pass tipped off of a Patriots receiver’s hands, following up by sprinting to the end zone.
Again, that’s one great play out of the bunch. Mac Jones threw at Jenkins more than any other Saints defender, but only 5 of his 10 attempts were completed, gaining just 43 yards. Jenkins didn’t miss a single tackle throughout the game and was credited with three stops (meaning either a tackle for loss of yards or insufficient gain).
His best impact might not be found in a box score. Jenkins was instrumental in communicating between the secondary and the defensive front, keeping everyone in sync and almost playing with one heartbeat. Coverage busts were rare, and there was only one penalty for defensive pass interference (a ticky-tack foul on Paulson Adebo, who shook it off). That was most evident in the Patriots’ attempts at going deep against New Orleans.
Mac Jones threw 11 passes beyond 20 yards downfield, and only completed one of them (a 27-yard gain early in a drive which ended on a field goal). The Saints didn’t give him any opportunities to make a big play and hurt them over the top, and Jenkins’ quick decision-making and sharp football mind did a lot to accomplish that. Not bad for someone entering his 13th year in the NFL.
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Saints PFF grades: Highest and lowest graded players in Week 3 vs. Patriots
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The New Orleans Saints defeated the New England Patriots thanks to highly-graded performances by Marshon Lattimore and Malcolm Jenkins from Pro Football Focus, despite low-graded outputs from Jameis Winston and several starters along the Saints offensive line. Here are the top five and bottom five player grades on both offense and defense:
Jameis Winston, Sean Payton react to QB’s throwaway-turned-touchdown
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Winston on his TD pass to Callaway: "That was all God" 🙏 pic.twitter.com/4Nkh5CVocE
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 26, 2021
The most unique play of the game in the New Orleans Saints’ dominant road win wasn’t supposed to happen. With few open throwing windows and a New England Patriots defender wrapped around his legs, Jameis Winston flung the ball away in hopes of sending it out of bounds to buy another down. On the other end of the field, away from Winston’s sightline, a penalty flag signaled a Patriots holding penalty.
But he didn’t put enough juice behind it, and the ball fell within the field of play just close enough to Marquez Callaway for the second-year Saints wideout to secure it for six points. As he trotted off the field, Winston later related, his coaches berated him: “If you’re throwing it away, make sure you throw it away.”
And he was as impressed as anyone that the play ended on a positive note. “That was all God, I was trying to throw that ball away,” Winston said after the game. “Marquez went up there and snatched it. So, touchdown good guys.”
Sean Payton took a significantly less positive view of the play, noting that he didn’t believe Winston knew there was a holding foul on New England when the ball went airborne and describing it as a “hold your breath moment.”
That’s the correct read on it. Winston has been throwing footballs professionally for too long to put a possession in jeopardy like this. A referee’s decision and Callaway’s heads-up play prevented disaster from striking. There are some good things to take away from his first three weeks (and, in general, he’s avoided the head-scratching turnovers we’ve seen before) but he hasn’t done much yet to sell the Saints on his candidacy as a long-term fix under center.
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New Orleans Saints Week 3 recap: Everything we know about 28-13 win
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The New Orleans Saints improved to 2-1 by defeating the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, which surprised a fair share of analysts and fans around the NFL. That just goes to speak to how much of a roller coaster the Saints’ 2021 season has been so far following their upset loss in Week 2 and statement win in Week 1. Here’s everything we know:
Watch: Marquez Callaway catches his first NFL touchdown pass
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First career TD for @CallawayMarquez 🙌#NOvsNE | 📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/z3qf4R2B5G
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 26, 2021
It’s taken some time for the Marquez Callaway hype train to rebuild its momentum, but scoring his first touchdown in the NFL should do a lot to help his confidence. The second-year New Orleans Saints wide receiver was the beneficiary of one of the wilder red-zone pass attempts you’ll see.
Jameis Winston flung the ball into the air with a New England Patriots defender wrapped around his legs, putting enough air under it to send every Saints fan watching to their feet in concern. But he may have seen the New England holding foul across the field and knew it was a free play, which helps lessen the risk, though it’s still the kind of throw he’s been working to avoid.
Callaway went into halftime with 3 receptions for 31 receiving yards, beating the numbers he posted through the season’s first two games (3 catches for 22 yards). Let’s hope this is the spark he needed to regain his preseason form.
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NFL Week 3: Saints choose their winningest uniform combo vs. Patriots
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White jerseys, white pants for the #Saints on Sunday ⚜️#NOvsNE | @EAMaddenNFL pic.twitter.com/IhToAxkpF1
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 24, 2021
The New Orleans Saints have announced their Week 3 uniform combination, and it’s the winningest combo in their arsenal: white jerseys with matching white pants. The all-whites have been broken out eight times, with the Saints achieving a 6-2 record while wearing them. While the black-on-black uniforms have been worn for a team-leading 46 victories, these have a better winning percentage (.750).
Of course that doesn’t mean they should expect a win on Sunday. The New England Patriots are a tough out for anyone, even with a fresh-faced quarterback under center. The Saints have real flaws that need correcting, and Patriots coach Bill Belichick will do everything he can to frustrate them.
For the curious, here is where each Saints uniform combination ranks in win percentage since Sean Payton was hired to coach the team, way back in 2006:
