It was not always pretty for the New Orleans Saints in their 19-17 win against the Los Angeles Chargers — in fact, at times things looked downright ugly.
The offense did not run at the smooth clip the Saints are accustomed to. The special teams unit gave up a monster return that put the team in a 14-point hole with seconds remaining in the first half. In general, the Saints looked out-classed for a solid chunk of the first 30 minutes Sunday.
But it is a preseason game that doesn’t officially count for anything, giving New Orleans an opportunity to correct what did not go so well. And there were some positive things to build on as the season inches closer.
Here are the top three observations from Sunday’s game.
1: Taysom Hill isn’t just a novelty
It’s pretty well-established now that there is room for a dynamic player such as Hill to flourish on an NFL roster. The Saints used Hill as a jack-of-all-trades last season, letting him run amok on special teams and creating an offensive package for him that utilized all of his unique skills at several different positions. But he may have played his sharpest game as a professional quarterback Sunday, looking poised while operating the Saints’ second and third-team offenses. It’s just one game, but this was a positive step for Hill, who compiled a stratospheric 140.6 passer rating while adding some nifty runs and leading a Saints rally
. 2: That wasn’t just a fluke for Deonte Harris
Deonte Harris, a rookie return man out of Division II Assumption College, opened a lot of eyes last week with a few exceptional moments in the return game. An injury to veteran return man Marcus Sherels, whom the Saints signed this offseason to jumpstart a return game that has not generated much the last few seasons, opened the door for Harris to show what he could do. Sunday against the Chargers, he built on his impressive debut with another strong performance as a returner. Harris confidently and cleanly fielded all seven of his return chances and swung field position with a couple long returns. His 26-yard punt return near the end of the third quarter set New Orleans up with the ball in Chargers territory.
3: Situational execution needs improvement
One of the many reasons the Saints were one of the NFL’s best teams in 2018 was their ability to come through in critical situations. Sunday’s performance against the Chargers left a lot to be desired in that department. New Orleans had a pair of costly turnovers inside the red zone and scored just one touchdown in five trips there. The Saints converted just two of their 10 third down opportunities, and on their lone fourth down try rookie Erik McCoy snapped the ball before Teddy Bridgewater was ready for it, leading to a fumble. New Orleans also failed to convert a 2-point conversion late in the game that would have put them ahead, with
تعليقات
إرسال تعليق