The New Orleans Saints nearly came away from their Thursday Night Football showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars with a win, despite trailing 24-9 heading into the 4th quarter. The 31-24 loss dropped the Saints to 3-4 on the season, a record that seems all too appropriate for a team whose coach feels “inconsistency” is the big issue his squad is dealing with.

“Our team is too inconsistent right now, and that’s what’s causing us problems,” Dennis Allen said of his Saints in his press conference after the game. “If I had one word to say about where we’re at as a team, it’s that we’re a little inconsistent. That’s the challenge. We’ve got to become a more consistent football team,” Allen continued (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk).

Neither you or I are better equipped to diagnose what the biggest problem for the New Orleans Saints is better than Dennis Allen, but Allen's blunt assessment of his team seems to be on the money. It's not as if New Orleans has faced a murderer's row of opponents, yet when the Saints come marching in they're usually playing uninspired football, save for a 34-0 beatdown of the New England Patriots back in Week 5. Given the current state of the Patriots, this isn't saying much. The other two wins on the Saints resume are close calls against the Titans and Panthers in the first two weeks of the season.

The Saints were considered the favorite to win the NFC South division this year, a testament to a defense that has been top ten in points allowed each of the last three years and a worthwhile bet on Derek Carr having plenty left in the tank after a disappointing end to his tenure as the quarterback of the Raiders.

The Saints now have ten days off before their next game, a visit to Indianapolis to take on the Colts.