The New Orleans Saints defeated the Carolina Panthers 17-7, giving New Orleans its second win of the season. It was an overall solid outing for New Orleans, but despite the win, a few figures within the team delivered underwhelming performances.
HC Kellen Moore
This might seem like a surprising inclusion since the Saints walked away with a win, but HC Kellen Moore made several questionable decisions that can’t go unnoticed. On multiple occasions, New Orleans had opportunities to go for it on fourth down but instead opted to either attempt a field goal or punt.
Additionally, several of the rushing play calls were puzzling. RB Alvin Kamara put together a strong game, yet some of the moments in which he was used didn’t make sense. The same issue applied to QB/TE/RB Taysom Hill — and in his case, it was even more concerning. Moore took the ball out of QB Tyler Shough’s hands far too often, inserting Hill in situations that disrupted the offense’s rhythm.
G Cesar Ruiz and OT Asim Richards
For the second week in a row, Cesar Ruiz finds himself among the Saints’ disappointments. This was a significantly improved performance by the offensive line, but it still had some imperfections. At times, Ruiz was dominated by Panthers DT Derrick Brown, which significantly affected the run game. In pass blocking, it was a bit better for Ruiz, but there were still moments when the veteran offensive lineman was pushed back too far.
OT Asim Richards also merits mention when assessing the line’s performance. To his credit, Richards was filling in for injured starter OT Taliese Fuaga, but even with that context, he gave up too many pressures against Carolina’s defense.
P Kai Kroeger
Yes, there is a punter on this list, and no, it’s not because the Saints had too many strong performers elsewhere. Since earning the punting job in the offseason, Kai Kroeger has struggled to deliver consistently. The Saints’ special teams unit as a whole has been subpar this season, but while K Blake Grupe has had a few solid outings, it’s difficult to identify one for Kroeger. He had one solid punt in this game, but another was flat-out ugly.