The New Orleans Saints managed to get their first win of the 2018 NFL season with a 21-18 victory over the Cleveland Browns. However, quarterback Drew Brees was not happy with the performance of their offense.
During their matchup with the Browns, the Saints looked far from the high-powered unit they established themselves last season. According to James Parks of 247Sports, Brees was extremely critical of his unit's outing in Week 2:
“It wasn’t a very good performance by us,” Brees said of the offense.
“At least in the first half, I could point to three, four, five, six different plays where we missed a pass on an open guy on a touchdown or we missed an assignment that would otherwise have continued a drive or gotten us points. The turnovers, it was really sloppy football. It was not sharp. We came out in the second half. Don’t convert on two third and ones on our first two drives in the third quarter. Then (we) find a way in the fourth quarter, which was a great team effort, says a lot about our team to come together to make plays and have a sense of urgency. We drive down, get a touchdown, (The) Defense comes up with an interception and we get another touchdown. Then go down a kick a field goal late. It really shouldn’t come down to that, and I think that if we’re talking about playing our best football, then [this] was not that. There’s a lot of things we need to work on.”
There is certainly plenty of truth to Brees' comments. The offense was flat throughout the majority of the game until they finally managed to put up 18 points in the fourth quarter. In fact, the Saints very well would have lost this game had it not been for Cleveland's kicking debacle all afternoon.
Brees still enjoyed a stellar game by all accounts on paper. He completed 28-of-35 pass for 243 yards and two touchdowns. New Orleans was able to find a way to move the ball through the air.
Unfortunately, they could not get their run game going after running back Alvin Kamara finished with just 46 yards on 13 carries. He still managed to get involved in the passing game by hauling in six receptions for 53 yards.
The Saints will not always have the luxury of their opponents shoot themselves in the foot, nor will they be able to rely on the fourth quarter to score all their points. Brees is well-aware of this fact and is looking to get the offense back on track against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3.
Follow Us
Subscribe