It's hard to be happy about a tie. What went right, and what went wrong in the Saints' preseason game against the Jaguars? And what's the bottom line?
A tie during a preseason game at least means that nobody has to sit through an excruciating extra period of sloppy football. That is one of the best things to take away from the New Orleans Saints 17-17 finish against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, which is the fact that we only had to put up with four quarters. Yes, it is only preseason, and many of the projected New Orleans starters didn't play at all or saw very little action. Yet, it's still an inescapable fact that the Saints have several alarming red flags and have a concerning lack of quality depth at most positions. Since it is still preseason, rather than overreact, let's instead focus on some key factors:
- What went right?
- What went wrong?
- What's the bottom line?
- What comes next?
What went right?
While lack of depth is a major red flag in many areas, there looks to be no such concern at linebacker. There is no need for Demario Davis or Pete Werner to play a lot of preseason snaps, though you'd like to see them get a game feel for Brandon Staley's new scheme. This gives the opportunity for several young linebackers to play, and a few of them have shined. Isaiah Stalbird again had an outstanding outing. He flew around on both defense and special teams, looking like a player with a personal grudge against everyone on the other side. Stalbird has gotten very difficult to justify keeping out of the lineup. At this point, it's hard to imagine him not on the roster.
Another second-year linebacker making a strong case for himself is Jaylan Ford. For the second straight week, Ford had a terrific outing in pass coverage, where he had an interception, showcased impressive agility, and flashed the instincts of a seasoned veteran. This is not to say that either D'Marco Jackson or Nephi Sewell have played poorly. They haven't. On the contrary, it feels like a very good linebacker or two is going to be on the outside looking in when roster decisions are made.
The concern over Kendre Miller never was about his abilities. It was about availability. Nevertheless, it looks like Miller has a stranglehold on the number two back spot behind Alvin Kamara. Even better, it looks like the Saints will have a legitimate threat at the spot -- if Miller stays healthy. Miller had only 21 rushing yards on six carries, but he showed excellent power after contact along with the vision for running lanes. Combined with the burst and explosiveness we know he has, the Saints may have a real 1-2 punch in the backfield. If Miller stays healthy.Safety
It's expected that Justin Reid and Julian Blackmon will make a more athletic pair than the Saints have had on the back end in years. Rookie Jonas Sanker and third-year Jordan Howden have also been playing good ball through both preseason games and training camp. It was Sanker's turn to shine against the Jaguars. He had a critical interception to essentially end the game, but also moved around the field decisively with 5 tackles and several plays in near perfect positioning.
What went wrong?
Once again, New Orleans showed zero ability to take control of the offensive line of scrimmage. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough was hit as he threw or hurried into rushed throws several times and could never get into a rhythm. It wasn't that much better for Spencer Rattler through the second half. New Orleans running backs often had nowhere to go, combining for only 68 yards and just 2.7 per carry if you take away two chunk plays from Miller and Velus Jones. Erik McCoy sat out today's game, as did Trevor Penning (foot), but this line must show far more than they have through either preseason outing or camp.
After a decent performance against the Chargers, the New Orleans defensive line was pushed around with ease by Jacksonville. The Jaguars rushed for 97 yards, with their backs averaging over 5 yards per carry and able to pick up key gains with relative ease. Just as concerning was the astounding lack of pressure felt like Jaguars quarterbacks. There is bound to be some inconsistencies from this group. However, a playmaker or two must emerge and it's vital that this group finds a way to slow down the run.
As noted above, the Saints need to get better play from offensive line starters Kelvin Banks, Taliese Fuaga, and Cesar Ruiz. The most disappointing starter was wide receiver Chris Olave. While he only played a very short span, Olave had just 2 catches for 12 yards. Even worse was a drop of an easy catch that would have kept a drive alive. Olave will be better, but you expect your top receiver to play well against a vanilla preseason defense. This is especially crucial when working with two young quarterbacks trying to get into a rhythm while competing for a starting job, especially when it's painfully clear that there are no viable weapons at receiver other than Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and perhaps Mason Tipton.
So what's the bottom line?
The Saints still have no quarterback. Tyler Shough outplayed Spencer Rattler against the Chargers. The same cannot be said against Jacksonville, with Shough getting his opportunity to start. On the surface, Shough's numbers weren't awful. He completed 9 of 12 throws, but for only 66 yards and just didn't look as comfortable as he did last week. Rattler wasn't a world-beater either. However, he did lead the Saints on an 82-yard drive in the final minutes that ended with a touchdown pass to Dante Pettis. His overall numbers were 18 completions in 24 attempts for 199 yards and that touchdown but also an ugly interception.
The bottom line is that neither Rattler or Shough have separated themselves in the quarterback battle. While both have had solid moments, they've each struggled to move the offense consistently and have also made concerning decisions with the ball. Poor offensive line performance, a struggling running game, and lack of weapons at receiver are certainly viable reasons. However, the fact that the quarterback competition looks far from settled is a worst-case scenario for the Saints heading into the final week of preseason.
And what comes next?
New Orleans wraps up preseason play at home against Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos next Sunday. The answers at quarterback are still completely up in the air. This team also continues to have major red flags on both lines, wideout, and backup running back. Yes, it's only preseason. But the Saints have done nothing to answer the questions or ease the many concerns that surrounded them with two games already in the books.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Instant analysis: What went right, what went wrong in Saints-Jaguars
Category: Football
