The New Orleans Saints struggled to preserve their huge lead against the New York Giants as they surprisingly lost the game on a 27-21 overtime defeat. Their Week 4 loss was certainly one that could hurt them in the standings down the road as they dropped to a 2-2 record to start the season.
It was a fairly sluggish game for the Saints on both ends of the field and they could definitely learn from their mistakes and do better in the weeks to come. Head coach Sean Payton will have to get back to the drawing board as they aim for a better result when they visit the Washington Football Team for Week 5 action.
Here are three takeaways from the Saints' Week 4 loss against the Giants:
3. The Saints' defense looked disjointed on the field.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and his men played great in Week 1 and Week 3 but their performance surprisingly dipped when they faced the Giants. The opposing offense was having their way all game long as they fought back and got the lead to secure the W.
With a loose defense, Giants wide receiver Kenny Golladay notched 116 yards on six catches while Kadarius Toney caught 78 yards on six receptions. They also failed to stop opposing running back Saquon Barkley who generated 52 yards on 13 carries to go with a scoring drive of his own.
Certainly enough, the Saints' defense can do better than how they performed in Week 4. Hopefully, the entire unit can regroup in order to not have another letdown in their upcoming matchup against Washington.
2. Rookie linebacker Pete Werner made his presence felt on the defensive end.
Despite having a rough day against the Giants, the Saints' defense still found a silver lining as rookie linebacker Pete Werner came out with a productive outing. The Ohio State product did his part as he notched 10 total tackles in just his second game in the NFL.
Though one man can't change the performance of the entire unit, the 22-year-old still managed to contribute and make an impact for the Saints in his own ways. After his impressive performance in Week 4, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen should certainly allow him to see more snaps and see what he can do with a larger role on the field moving forward.
1. Alvin Kamara failed to get involved in the passing game against the Giants.
Without Michael Thomas, the Saints have shallow depth in the receiving unit and are forced to lean on the services of Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harris, and Ty Montgomery. Alvin Kamara may be a running back but he is certainly capable of being involved in plays as a pass-catcher.
In fact, he tallied 80 or more receptions in his first four seasons as a Saint ever since he entered the league in 2017. However, in Week 4, the four-time Pro Bowler ended the game without a single target for the first time in his career.
Through their first four games of the season, it is evident that the Saints are utilizing Kamara more like a pure RB in their offensive schemes as proven by his high number of rushing attempts per game. Without Thomas around, the receiving room can certainly use some help from their top running back in order to have a more dynamic offensive attack and put up more points in their coming games.
After seeing the results of their first few outings, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. should try and go back to his old ways of integrating Alvin Kamara into their passing game if he wants to put the Saints in a better position to win in the weeks to come.
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