The New Orleans Saints have finally made it to the Week 12 bye, and with a 4-7 record that is somewhat not optimal, but also not the worst-case scenario given they did begin 2-7. We have a relatively good idea of where this team stands at the moment, given the losing streak previously occurring, however with two games won back-to-back under Darren Rizzi, some momentum has built in their favor before they return in Week 13 against the Los Angeles Rams. So with that said, here are our takeaways from the Saints' season so far:
Dennis Allen was most definitely the issue
The decision to fire Dennis Allen came very late compared to expectations of when he could have been removed, dating back to early 2023. Now he is gone, and the Saints are 2-0 without him with wins over the Atlanta Falcons (who they lost to under Dennis Allen this year) and the Cleveland Browns, who despite their record, just knocked off the 8-2 Pittsburgh Steelers in the snow. Darren Rizzi has brought back life into this Saints team and given them some hope of a long-shot playoff push, and Dennis Allen remains un-hired, which is notable given how many former staff members have gone over to Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos, most recently Pete Carmichael.
The special teams unit is much better than anticipated
The special teams unit was one of the concerns for the Saints heading into 2024, with Blake Grupe receiving competition via Charlie Smyth due to a very up-and-down 2023, and Lou Hedley also coming off a tough 2023 campaign. Now, the Saints decided to keep Grupe as the starter with Smyth on the practice squad and kept Matthew Hayball over Hedley, which both seem to be strong decisions. Grupe is 18 for 19 on field goals, and 3 for 3 from 50+ yards, and despite two missed PATs, is 26 for 28 there (92.9%). Hayball has shown very bright flashes of being a strong punter as well, with 47 punts for 2,076 yards (44.2 average) and 27 punts inside the 20-yard line (good for a 57.4% rate). On top of all this, prior to the Sunday slate of Week 12 the Saints have two of the top special teams tacklers, J.T. Gray (15 tackles, 2nd place) and Anfernee Orji (12 tackles, T-3rd place). A great year for special teams, hence the promotion of special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi to interim head coach.
Despite a slow start, the veterans still have some juice in the tank
The complaints regarding Cameron Jordan were strong in the early part of the year, and Demario Davis, Derek Carr, and Taysom Hill all had slow-ish starts to the season (aside from the first two weeks). Tyrann Mathieu managed to start strong, but otherwise, the veterans were not having a good go of things. Since Rizzi took over, they have all had some exceptional games in their pockets. Taysom with his absolute masterclass against the Browns, Jordan in both games has played better than previously and has received a huge snaps bump, Carr has looked much better once he got settled back in post-injury, and Davis has looked like his old self bringing in double-digit tackles and making a huge impact each game. The young guns have gotten alot of the focus, but the veterans have stepped up their game immensely in the past few weeks as well.
Alvin Kamara is still a lead back
There were questions if the Saints still believed in Alvin Kamara. He's a running back who is approaching 30 years old. It is reasonable to be slow to believe. He quickly answered that question and was rewarded with a new contract. The addition of Klint Kubiak gave Kamara a scheme that allows him to showcase his talents more appropriately than in recent years.
The Saints need to completely renovate the WR room
The wide receiver corps was slim coming into the season. We knew that, and, unfortunately, the Saints' worst nightmare came true. Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed both fell to injury. You need more depth in the room. That can be filled in by veterans. Olave's history of concussions should lead you to question if you need to look for another lead receiver as well.
Will Harris should remain a part of the team moving forward
This is largely a personal take. The Saints may look to improve at safety, but Will Harris should remain on this team even if it's for depth. The types of hits Will Harris delivers are reminiscent of an enforcer. He is the type of player who can set the tone on the defense and that's a valuable trait. It's old school and isn't overly prevalent in today's NFL, but it's refreshing to see big, clean hits being delivered multiple times in a year.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Takeaways from the Saints' season so far at the bye week
