NEW ORLEANS — The Saints bye week arrives with a 2-5 record and a problem that should concern everyone from Kellen Moore’s coaching staff to Mickey Loomis’ front office: New Orleans is losing too much of the work at the line of scrimmage.
The 16-10 loss to Pittsburgh in Paris brought the issue into focus. The Saints managed 18 rushing yards on 17 attempts. The Steelers’ Jaylen Warren gained 101 yards, and Pittsburgh converted 10 of 16 third downs.
A six-point margin can make a game look close. It cannot make that combination sustainable.
New Orleans still has time to improve. The bye must produce changes that show up against Cleveland, beginning with a rushing attack that can function consistently and a defense that can force opponents into harder decisions.
Quick Facts
- Record: 2-5 entering the Week 8 bye.
- Rushing offense: 86.0 yards per game and 3.5 yards per carry.
- Run defense: 139.4 yards allowed per game and 4.8 per carry.
- Next game: Cleveland at New Orleans, Sunday, November 8, noon CT.
- Trade deadline: Tuesday, November 10, 3 p.m. CT.
The rushing numbers show a team losing ground
The Saints’ official statistics show the imbalance through seven games:
| Rushing statistic | Saints | Opponents |
|---|---|---|
| Total rushing yards | 602 | 976 |
| Rushing attempts | 171 | 203 |
| Rushing yards per game | 86.0 | 139.4 |
| Yards per carry | 3.5 | 4.8 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 6 | 11 |
Per-game averages are calculated over seven games; figures are rounded to one decimal place.
Opponents have outgained New Orleans by 374 rushing yards. The Saints are giving up more production on the ground than they are creating, while asking Tyler Shough to keep the offense moving.
The week-to-week swings are just as revealing. New Orleans rushed for 148 yards against Las Vegas and 175 against the Giants. Those two games supplied more than half its season total. Across the other five games, the Saints averaged just 55.8 rushing yards.
Those calculations, based on the team’s game-by-game bye-week review, point to the real challenge. New Orleans has shown it can produce a good rushing performance. It has not built something dependable enough to carry from one opponent to the next.
Moore needs a blocking plan his available players can execute
Injuries have complicated the job. Kelvin Banks Jr.’s absence has forced New Orleans to adjust at left tackle after the severe ankle injury and surgery reported by NFL Network. Travis Etienne Jr.’s move to injured reserve also took an important back out of the rotation.
Those losses matter. They also make adaptation part of the coaching assignment.
Moore needs to identify which combinations of blocking concepts, formations and personnel give the remaining linemen their best chance. That should include evaluating where extra help is needed at tackle, which runs reach the line cleanly, and which concepts keep producing immediate penetration.
Shough should benefit from more manageable early downs and a broader menu of credible options. A quick passing game can help, but it cannot excuse a rushing attack that disappears for entire afternoons.
Taliese Fuaga, in his third NFL season, and the veteran interior linemen deserve an honest individual evaluation. Team rushing totals alone cannot establish which player missed an assignment or which coach caused it. The film should determine that. The collective results demand that the evaluation happen.
For background on the personnel concerns, read our Paris protection preview.
Brendan Nugent’s role belongs in the review
Moore has described the run-game preparation as collaborative, with offensive line coach Brendan Nugent and run game coordinator T.J. Paganetti doing substantial preparation before the head coach becomes involved.
“It’s a collaborative opportunity for all of us,” Moore said in the Saints’ bye-week review.
That places responsibility across the staff. Nugent’s teaching and the line’s execution should receive close scrutiny, while Moore must own the plan he approves and calls.
A staff change should be a real option, including at offensive line coach, if the review identifies persistent teaching failures or an inability to correct recurring mistakes. Any change should come with a specific plan for improving the unit.
Keeping the same structure also requires a convincing explanation of what will change. Injuries cannot become a standing answer for every failed possession.
Run defense cannot hide behind the sack totals
Chase Young’s seven sacks and Carl Granderson’s 5.5 show that New Orleans has produced pressure. Those plays lose some of their value when opponents can keep moving the chains on the ground.
CBS ranks New Orleans 29th in rushing yards allowed per game. The Saints have surrendered 11 rushing touchdowns, and Pittsburgh’s third-down success in Paris showed how difficult it becomes to control a game without dependable early-down stops.
Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley and defensive line coach Bo Davis need a precise diagnosis. The self-scout should separate defenders losing at the point of attack from missed assignments, poor run fits and failed tackles. Each problem requires a different correction.
New Orleans already has 330-pound veteran Davon Godchaux in its defensive front. Adding another interior defender may help the rotation, but size alone will not solve a unit’s execution.
Staley should simplify assignments where the film shows confusion and use personnel combinations that best handle the opposing run game. Any change in front alignment needs to solve a demonstrated problem, with every defender clear about his responsibility.
Loomis needs help up front at a sensible price
The November 10 trade deadline gives Loomis a limited window to evaluate reinforcements. Offensive tackle depth and interior defensive line help deserve attention.
There is a sound argument for a tackle who can stabilize the offense and help protect a young quarterback. There is also a case for another reliable interior defender who can strengthen the run rotation.
At 2-5, however, New Orleans should set a firm limit on the cost. A move should improve this season’s roster and make sense beyond the next Sunday. Giving away valuable future picks for a short-term patch would require a much stronger justification.
Affordable veterans, practice-squad options and lower-cost trades all deserve evaluation. The front office should be able to explain the player’s role, the available alternatives and the reason the price is justified.
The salary cap requires discipline, not another excuse
Any acquisition must fit the Saints’ actual available cap room, the salary remaining on the contract and the obligations that follow it into future seasons.
The NFL’s contract guidance explains that converting base salary into a signing bonus can create immediate cap relief while increasing future cap charges. That flexibility carries a cost.
Loomis should weigh that cost alongside the draft compensation and the player’s long-term value. An affordable rookie contract is one possible fit. A reasonably priced veteran can also merit consideration.
The standard should be whether a move materially improves the team at an acceptable total price. Finding room on a spreadsheet is only one part of that decision.
Moore should feel pressure, and Loomis should answer questions
From an accountability standpoint, Moore has earned increased scrutiny. The Saints have lost three one-score games, and their offense has not established a reliable ground game.
That pressure should extend to Loomis. The roster’s depth, the development of its young players and the coaching staff’s ability to adapt all belong in the review.
Owner Gayle Benson should expect specific answers about the team’s direction. What is the offensive identity? Which weaknesses can be corrected with the current roster? Which require personnel changes? How will the organization measure improvement after the bye?
Loomis belongs in that discussion because roster construction and depth help determine what the coaching staff can accomplish. Moore belongs in it because preparing and adjusting the available players is his responsibility.
The larger leadership questions remain part of our continuing coverage of Moore, Loomis and Benson.
What it means
The Saints need a more stable way to play competitive football. A productive rushing game would give the offense more options. Better run defense would create more chances to get off the field and return possession to Shough.
Neither improvement guarantees a turnaround. Both would address problems that have repeatedly made the Saints’ margin for error smaller.
The bye-week evaluation should produce clear changes, clear responsibilities and evidence that those changes are working.
What’s next
According to the official schedule, New Orleans hosts Cleveland at noon CT on Sunday, November 8, in the Caesars Superdome. The trade deadline follows two days later.
That makes the Browns game the final game before the front office must settle its deadline decisions. The bye is the time to establish the plan, evaluate the available help and decide what the organization is willing to spend.
Against Cleveland, the Saints need to show more consistent blocking, stronger run fits and an offense with a dependable way to move the ball.
The Saints need to make the bye visible on the field.
Who Dat Nation: Which change should New Orleans make first—its blocking plan, run-defense approach or personnel?About the author: Gee Bino covers the New Orleans Saints and regional sports for The Who Dat Daily and TSC Media.