NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Did the Saints' new offense get exposed?
Or perhaps New Orleans simply came up just short in a hard-fought game after losing a key lineman — center Erik McCoy — against a team with an elite defense.
“Nobody wants to see a Pro Bowl center go down,” coach Dennis Allen said Monday. “Obviously he’s one of our better players on our offensive line, so that’s a challenge. Yet everybody in the NFL has to deal with those challenges.”
A 15-12 loss to the Eagles has brought the Saints back to Earth after a remarkable first two games of the season in which they were the NFL’s highest-scoring team with an average victory margin of 28 points.
Then again, few things cool off a hot team like key injuries and a tough, motivated opponent.
“Their front played exceptionally well. It was a challenge for us all afternoon," Allen said of the Eagles. "They’re really good, in particular inside at the defensive tackle position, and I think that was an area that they won that battle inside.”
The honeymoon might not be over yet for new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, but he'll have to make some adjustments now that the Eagles have provided somewhat of a blueprint for defending New Orleans.
Not every opposing defense will have quite the personnel the Eagles have, but what they did significantly slowed down the Saints.
New Orleans scored 11 touchdowns in its first two games combined but got in the end zone only once in Week 3.
Meanwhile, Allen was on the defensive about whether his team was guilty of some dirty play against the Eagles.
DeVonta Smith was knocked out of the game with concussion symptoms as the receiver tried to avoid letting two other defenders drag him to the turf. After Smith's forward progress had been stopped, but before the whistle, a third defender, defensive tackle Khristian Boyd, flattened Smith, knocking his helmet off.
No penalty was called on that play, but Saints right tackle Trevor Penning was flagged on another play for blocking Eagles defensive back Darius Slay across the sideline and into the Saints' bench. Slay received treatment for an apparent injury before walking back to the Philadelphia sideline.
“Our guys play extremely hard and we’re going to compete until the down is over,” Allen said. “I don’t think we play dirty. I don’t think we ever have played dirty. It’s not the way we coach it. It’s not the way we teach it. But we do play hard.”
What’s working
The Saints' defense has been relatively good at keeping its first three opponents out of the end zone. After allowing just one TD each to Carolina and Dallas, New Orleans kept Philadelphia from scoring for three quarters before allowing two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Those two resulted either directly or indirectly from 60-plus-yard plays. But that's still just four TDs allowed through three games.
Through Sunday's games, the Saints ranked fifth in the NFL in fewest points allowed per game at 14.7.
“Defensively, we did a lot of good things. We took the ball away and had some fourth-down stops," Allen said. "But the explosive plays and just not being able to finish the game when we had a chance to finish the game, that was disappointing.”
What needs help
The offensive line struggled to block for running backs and to protect quarterback Derek Carr.
The unit was most exposed when Alvin Kamara was unable to find enough room to get a yard on fourth-and-1 from the Philadelphia 18. The Saints might have been better off attempting a field goal in such a tight, low-scoring game, but Allen thought they should have been able to get a yard and did not see that as an obvious kicking situation for a team trying to build on what was then a 3-0 lead.
“We know what mistakes we’ve got to fix," left tackle Taliese Fuaga said. "So, that’s all we can do,”
Stock up
Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu's interception in the end zone gave him three takeaways in three games — two on interceptions and a forced fumble that he also recovered.
Stock down
Eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Jordan is seeing his usage drop in his 14th season. He's now third in New Orleans' rotation of defensive ends behind Chase Young and Carl Granderson.
Through three games, the 35-year-old Jordan has two tackles with no sacks, no tackles for loss and no QB hurries.
“Cam’s still a vital part of what we do, but I think we’ll see a little bit more of those other guys,” Allen said. “It boils down to effectiveness. ... It’s no disrespect or anything negative towards Cam. That’s just kind of how this game goes at some point in time.”
Injuries
While versatile tight end Taysom Hill (chest) was ruled out of Sunday's game two hours before kickoff, he seemed close to a return after practicing on a limited basis late in the week.
Allen did not provide a timeline for McCoy's return.
Key number
5 — The number of times the Saints punted against the Eagles after punting only once in each of their first two games.
Next steps
The Saints visit Atlanta, where the Falcons are coming off a loss to the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Brett Martel, The Associated Press
