Alvin Kamara’s return was bright spot for New Orleans Saints on a frustrating day
Not many performances of note for the New Orleans Saints in a 26-9 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday in the Caesars Superdome. The scoreboard was reflective of how the Saints felt they played in a game that evened their record at 2-2, and left them a game behind the Buccaneers in the NFC South Division.
OFFENSE: On one of the most frustrating days for the offense in years, running back Alvin Kamara returned from a three-game suspension and rushed for 51 yards on 11 carries, and caught 13 passes for 33 yards. Offensively, the Saints trudged through mud on Sunday, totaling just 197 yards while searching for cohesion and consistency. Kamara looked fresh, though, and using him as a runner, receiver or decoy will benefit New Orleans in future games.
DEFENSE: Rookie defensive tackle Bryan Bresee is a keeper. He had the Saints’ only sack, three tackles for loss, a quarterback hit and four tackles as he created much of the mayhem New Orleans was able to muster on defense. He’s a jolt of adrenaline on the interior of the defensive line, and he likely only will get better once he learns the nuances of the position. It seems he has made a “splash” play in every game and if he keeps it up, opponents are going to have to make some special accommodations for dealing with him.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Credit kicker Blake Grupe for a nice bounce-back game. True, two of his field goals were short attempts (37 and 32 yards), after the Saints stalled in the red zone. But seeing the ball go through the goal posts three times, after missing a 46-yarder that might have been the game-winner a week before, had to be a good feeling for the rookie and for his teammates. The fact that the Saints have been so reliant on Grupe doesn’t shade the fact that he’s 9 of 10 on his field goal attempts this season.
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The New Orleans Saints had a tough battle in the final stretch of their Thursday Night Football matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The now 3-4 Saints lost the down-to-the-wire game. They were looking to push themselves higher in the NFL standings. The Saints struggled early in the game. QB Derek Carr had opportunities to capitalize but came up short. Specifically, some of his throws were off in the red zone. Naturally, X (Twitter) is critiquing him hard.
Derek Carr becomes the object of Saints fans’ frustration
One user posted a clip of Carr throwing the ball on a 3rd & 5 play where the ball was significantly overthrown. The user found it funny that Carr got frustrated when the receiver could not get to the ball.
The New Orleans Saints are expected to get a key weapon back tonight.
Former Green Bay Packers RB Jamaal Williams is expected to be activated off injured reserve and will play in Thursday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Williams has been dealing with a hamstring injury and has missed the past four games.
Since departing Green Bay in 2020, Williams has earned a couple of nice paydays with the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints.
Williams is a player who is a solid runner and fumbles the ball (only five total fumbles in his career.) Williams’ return adds a stacked backfield with 5X Pro Bowler Alvin Kamara and rookie Kendre Miller. Williams plays that complementary role well, as he did so well for the Green Bay Packers playing that role to Aaron Jones. Who, like Kamara, adds a dynamic element to the offense.
Another Saints fan comically stated, “Let Derek Carr lead us to the red zone and then let Jameis Winston finish the job.” There were also numerous posts making fun of Carr’s throwing accuracy:
It seems a lot of Carr’s passes were either been overthrown or underthrown. Despite the mishaps, New Orleans still had a chance to win the game. The Jaguars got the ball and scored late in the fourth, giving them a 31 to 24 lead with 2 minutes to go.
The Saints got the ball back and proceeded to drive down the field but were unsuccessful.
Ultimately, Derrek Carr could not help push the Saints to a winning NFL record. Carr totaled 301 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Nevertheless, the team can turn things around for the next matchup.
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