Tag: Buccaneers

Dennis Allen says Saints will try everything to stop missing tackles

Dennis Allen says the Saints will try everything to stop missing tackles. If he can’t teach them fundamentals, he won’t be their coach for much longer:

It’s no secret what ails thee New Orleans Saints defense. They just gave up 1,000 yards in the space of a week between a Monday night game with the Kansas City Chiefs and a blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following Sunday, and head coach Dennis Allen didn’t hesitate to point to the source of their problems.

“We didn’t tackle,” Allen said matter-of-factly after the Bucs game. “When you don’t tackle you give up explosive plays and you give up plays, and it kind of snowballed on us a little bit. It was not good enough.”

Those missed tackles were Allen’s first takeaway from the game. He said strong defense has been something the team has leaned on, but that wasn’t the case Sunday: “That’s on me. I’ve got to do a better job with our guys. I’ve got to make sure we understand what we’re doing, we’ve got to do more tackling drills, whatever the case may be. It was not a good defensive performance at all.”

Allen has been the architect of the defense for nearly a decade, having drafted, developed, and recruited many of the players on the field. To see that unit’s fundamentals collapse was a gut punch, especially after he and his staff had made tackling drills a point of emphasis at practice during the week. So what’s causing all these missed tackles from normally sure-handed players like Demario Davis and Paulson Adebo?

“Part of it’s angles, it’s technique, it’s wrapping up. A lot of fundamental things that we’re not good enough with the tackling. And I think it starts with leverage and angles. That’s where it starts, and then the fundamental of actually making a tackle. Got to do a better job of wrapping up. But that’s two weeks in a row we haven’t done a good job tackling, and that’s our biggest concern,” Allen said.

It’s a major problem and it’s only gotten worse. And the Saints don’t have time on their side. They kick off with the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. When asked if these missed tackles are something the team can clean  up in  just four days, Allen’s response was succinct.

“It’s something we’d better fix in four days,” Allen said gravelly. It might be overdramatic to say his job is on the line if it doesn’t get better, but this is how those situations develop. If he can’t get his team playing fundamental football, he won’t be their coach for much longer.

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No NFL team has lost like the Saints did since 1950

No NFL team has lost quite like the New Orleans Saints managed on Sunday since 1950. Dennis Allen’s team keeps finding new ways to make history:

No NFL team has lost quite like the New Orleans Saints managed to on Sunday since 1950. Yes, nearly three quarters of a century ago. Dennis Allen’s team keeps finding new ways to make history

When the Saints fell 51-27 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the weekend, they afforded Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield quite the stat line (outside of the picks) as he completed 24 of his 36 passing attempts for 325 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.

The 2024 Saints team is the first team since the 1950 Baltimore Colts that forced three interceptions, was able to score 27 points on the opposing defense and lost a game by a minimum of 24 points. That’s very specific criteria, but it goes to show how often teams dominated those areas and came away with a win.

The Saints last scored more than 27 points when they put over 40 points on the scoreboard against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 15. In the first two games of the season, the Saints combined for some 91 points that gave a false sense of optimism as to how explosive they would be.

The Saints will look to get back on track and put an end to what has now become a four-game losing streak when they face the Denver Broncos at 7:15 p.m. CT/8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday.

That’s only four days away, so a quick turnaround — especially where the defensive side of the ball, which should be Allen’s speciality, is concerned — will be very necessary.

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Saints’ defense must recover quickly after giving up 1,000 yards in one week

The New Orleans Saints defense gave up 1,000 yards this week. They’ve got just four days to clean it up before their next test:

The New Orleans Saints offense wasn’t the only problem on Sunday. In fact, it was far from it.

While that side of the ball put up 27 points, the most the Saints have seen since Sept. 15, the defense allowed some 51 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, allowing the visitors to go on an absolute tear after New Orleans held the lead at halftime.

The Saints have allowed more than 1,000 yards to opposing offenses this week, between the 460 yards allowed to the Kansas City Chiefs on Mondaay night and the 594 yards surrendered to the Bucs.

The time of possession battle is one thing this type of misfortune boils down to. The Bucs possessed the ball for 34 minutes and two seconds on Sunday — and last week, the Chiefs had it for even longer.

Patrick Mahomes and company held onto the ball for nearly 40 minutes. Looking at that from the perspective that quarters in NFL football last for 15 minutes each, we’re looking at nearly three quarters of possession for both of these teams.

That also means New Orleans has had possession of the bank for just over 48 minutes of the last 120 minutes of football the team has played. Dennis Allen’s defense is exhausted, and they look like it.

Despite the promising start to the season, it’s clear the Saints have a lot of fixing to do — and fast — as they now ride a four-game losing streak.

New Orleans will desperately seek to get back on the right track as it faces the Denver Broncos just four days from now in Thursday night action at the Caesars Superdome at 7:15 p.m. CT.

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Tyrann Mathieu won’t return vs. Buccaneers due to wrist injury

Tyrann Mathieu won’t return against the Buccaneers due to a wrist injury. It’s more adversity to deal with on a short week before their next game:

Things went from bad to worse for the New Orleans Saints defense in Sunday’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Starting safety and team captain Tyrann Mathieu left early with an elbow injury, and was later downgraded. He was ruled out and didn’t return in the second half.

The Saints were already shorthanded at safety with Will Harris going on  injured reserve before the game. After Mathieu went down their only active options were Jordan Howden, Johnathan Abram (called up from the practice squad, and who played through a back injury), and special teams ace J.T. Gray, who has never seen much action on defense.

It’s more losses than a team can reasonably handle, when guys are having to come in from the special teams units and practice squad and handle starter’s reps. It’s just more adversity for Dennis Allen’s team to navigate through the short week before Thursday night’s game against Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos.

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WATCH: Cameron Jordan snags his third career interception

Cameron Jordan grabbed a Baker Mayfield interception off of a deflected pass from his teammate Bryan Bresee. It was his third career INT:

The New Orleans Saints got another clutch takeaway near the end of the first half, with Bryan Bresee tipping a pass up into the air and Cameron Jordan pulling it down. It was the third interception thrown by Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, though two of them were deflected passes.

This marked the third interception of Jordan’s career as well, with the other two coming in 2014 and 2017, despite having a whopping 62 pass deflections in his career to this point.

His team needed it. The Saints entered halftime up 27-24 after starting the second quarter down 17-0, and the defense’s success was a large part of that. It felt like every play with them on the field had been a 50/50 chance at being a large gain for the Buccaneers, or the Saints quickly getting off the field. They’ll need more stops and takeaways like this to win the day.

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WATCH: Spencer Rattler makes Saints history with his first NFL touchdown pass

Spencer Rattler threw his first NFL touchdown pass to another rookie, and it came when the team needed it most. It also made Saints history:

Take a bow, Spencer Rattler. The young quarterback threw his first NFL touchdown pass to another rookie, and it came when the team needed it most. Rattler swung a fastball to wide receiver Bub Means in the back of the end zone, giving the New Orleans Saints a lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Context makes the play even more impressive. The Saints fell into a 17-0 deficit early on after the Bucs scored a couple of touchdowns on their own, one of them off a fumble recovery, but New Orleans fought back. The defense took the ball away, Rashid Shaheed scored a long punt return touchdown, and when Rattler got in he took care of business, putting them on top 20-17.

It was the first time in Saints franchise history that a rookie quarterback’s first touchdown pass was thrown to another first-year pro in his first start. And it’s a good start to Rattler’s NFL story. Let’s see if he can keep it going.

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Alvin Kamara has already surpassed his 2023 TDs total

Alvin Kamara has already surpassed his 2023 touchdowns total. The New Orleans Saints running back retook the lead against the Bucs:


It only took Alvin Kamara six games to surpass his touchdown total from 2023. The New Orleans Saints running back followed his blockers and took advantage of a big gap created by right tackle Trevor Penning to twist and slip into the end zone, retaking the lead against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The difference between last year and this year is night and day for Alvin Kamara. Not only has his usage significantly higher, his touchdown rate is back up. There was once a time where Kamara was a touchdown machine.

That time was years ago, but it looks like it’s coming back. Kamara hasn’t scored a combined 10 touchdowns since 2020. That season he led the league with 21 total touchdowns. He hasn’t quite reached double digits, but he is well on the way if he keeps this up.

Kamara has now scored seven touchdowns this season. That’s more than he scored all season last year, and he’s done it on fewer touches. This rushing  touchdown against the Buccaneers was the 60th such score of his career.

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WATCH: Rashid Shaheed returns a punt 54 yards for a badly-needed TD

Rashid Shaheed returned a punt 54 yards for a badly-needed touchdown against the Buccaneers. It’s just what the Saints needed:

Leave it to Rashid Shaheed to bring the Caesars Superdome to its feet. A big stop by the New Orleans Saints defense and a foolish Tampa Bay Buccaneers penalty set him up in favorable field position to return a punt in the second  quarter, and he delivered.

Shaheed caught the ball just inside Saints territory and split the gunners to cut upfield, where a nice block by linebacker D’Marco Jackson sprung him free down the sideline. Shaheed had so much room to run he danced his way into the end zone. Special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi was waiting to celebrate with him.

This was Shaheed’s second career punt return touchdown, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. His score and Blake Grupe’s following kick cut the Bucs’ lead down to 17-10. With Chris Olave out in concussion protocol, Shaheed is going to be needed not just on offense but in the game’s third phase.

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Chris Olave (concussion) ruled out for the rest of Week 6 vs. Buccaneers

Chris Olave entered the NFL concussion protocol after a big hit against the Buccaneers, and he won’t return for the remainder of the game:


Disaster hit the New Orleans Saints early against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Chris Olave went down hard after a big hit. The team’s best wide receiver took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Zyon McCollum, but the play wasn’t fouled. Olave also fumbled on the play, which was recovered  and returned for a Buccaneers touchdown to extend Tampa Bay’s early lead.

They’re going to miss him. So much of the offense is built around Olave demanding double coverage and extra attention from the opposing  secondary, which creates opportunities for teammates like Rashid Shaheed to work one-on-one. Olave has entered the league concussion protocol and there’s no guarantee he’ll clear it in time to play on Thursday night against the Denver Broncos.

The Saints’ depth at wide receiver is going to be tested. Outside of Olave and  Shaheed, the only other players on their 53-man roster are veteran backup Cedrick Wilson Jr. and rookies Bub Means and Maston Tipton. There  are three wideouts on the practice squad including Equanimeous St. Brown, Kevin Austin Jr., and Jermaine Jackson but none of them are eligible to play against the Bucs.

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Mike Evans says he’s grown past feud after ejection, suspensions, and restaurant ban

Mike Evans has been ejected once, suspended twice, and banned from a New Orleans restaurant for starting fights with Marshon Lattimore. He says he’s more mature now:

Mike Evans says he’s learned his lesson from starting fights with Marshon Lattimore. Past feuds with the New Orleans Saints cornerback have cost the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver a lot — more than $100,000 in fines, an ejection, two different single-game suspensions, and a lifetime ban from a New Orleans barbecue restaurant.

Still, it remains a spirited rivalry, and Evans said he’s taking the high road. That doesn’t mean he isn’t looking forward to scrapping with Lattimore as long as their teams remain division opponents.

“Long as, you know, it’s within the play,” Evans told the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud. “I’ve done a bad job in the past of making it go over the play when I shouldn’t have. But I’m more mature now and our team is focused on playing winning ball, and you can’t play winning ball when you get kicked out and things like that.”

Evans added that while you want to bring fire and energy and passion into the game, you can’t act irrationally because of it and hurt your team. That’s a balance he’s struggled to maintain in the past, and it doesn’t help that Lattimore consistently shuts him down. Evans has had a nice career. He’s averaged 4.9 catches and 75.2 yards per game over the years. But in a dozen previous games with Lattimore he’s had 5 or more receptions just once while beating that yardage average only twice.

“But I definitely want to have that fire and be physical and a little chirping never hurts. But you definitely have got to be smart,” Evans added.

There’s a lot to be said for letting your hands doing the talking, but Evans would be better served catching passes than throwing punches.

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