| Drew Brees played poorly against the Broncos, but he was not alone as the Saints got hammered, 34-14, in Denver. (US Presswire) |
The one-dimensional Saints proved how horrible they are when an opponent shuts down their only strength.
With Drew Brees stumbling and his receivers fumbling passes, New Orleans bumbled its way to a 34-14 loss that was even more one-sided than the score indicated Sunday night against Denver. The Broncos were coming off a bye. The Saints (2-5) might have said bye-bye to any chance of making the playoffs in this bitter year without coach Sean Payton.
Offense: F
Denver boasts the best pass defense of any team New Orleans has faced this year, and the difference was evident. Brees, who arrived in Denver on a Rocky Mountain high, crashed back to earth despite decent protection. He threw low, high, in front of and behind his targets, barely completing half of his passes (22 of 42). On a critical fourth-and-2 near midfield with the score tied at 7, he underthrew a ball that was intercepted when he likely could have run for the first. He got little help from his receivers, who dropped several passes, including a deep ball to Devery Henderson that should have been a huge early gain. The running game, last in the league through six games, lived down to its billing with nothing substantial to take pressure off the struggling air show. If not for a fourth-and-10 conversion that led to a TD in garbage time, the Saints would have finished with fewer than 200 yards. Last week’s grade: B+
Defense: F
It’s reaching an epidemic stage. After giving up more yards in the first six games than any NFL team since at least 1940, Peyton Manning torched the secondary until he hit his hand on Martez Wilson’s helmet late in the first half. From there, the Broncos simply ran through the defense. The final numbers were scarier than anything you’ll see on Halloween -- 530 total yards, 225 rushing yards, 305 passing yards. The effort level, decent in spite of the awful numbers before this game, dropped dramatically in the third quarter. The execution was terrible, too. The only positive was the play of raw rookie DT Akiem Hicks, who started in place of inactive Brodrick Bunkley and actually pushed some linemen backwards. Last week’s grade: C-
Special Teams: C
The kicking game was no factor one way or the other. Garrett Hartley did not attempt a field goal. Punter Thomas Morstead averaged 51.6 yards on eight punts, right around his league-leading average. The coverage unit gave up a 22-yard punt return and stuffed a kickoff return at the Denver 7, promptly leading to a 93-yard Broncos TD drive. Last week’s grade: B
Coaching: F
It’s hard to tell what Joe Vitt was talking about when he said heavy media coverage of his return as interim coach was part of the problem, but he was right in ripping his own performance. The Saints gave in for the first time this year while getting blown out for the first time by any team since 2008. The Broncos played harder from start to finish, had an excellent coverage scheme that forced Brees into a bad rhythm and took the fight out of the Saints by the third quarter. At least in part, that’s on the coaches. The one strategy decision Vitt will get ripped for was the right call. The Saints should have gone for it on fourth-and-2 from the Denver 47 in the second quarter. Field position matters, but Manning already had led a 98-yard drive, so it’s not like a punt would have kept the Broncos from scoring. Brees just threw a poor pass, and Denver scored a TD in five plays to take the lead for good. Last week’s grade: B
Follow Saints reporter Guerry Smith on twitter @CBSSaints.