Kubiak, Saints eye adjustments in Atlanta

By Ross Jackson

After a blazing start to the season, the New Orleans Saints came crashing back down to Earth thanks to a stellar defensive performance by the Philadelphia Eagles.

The good news for the Saints, though, is that not a lot of teams will be able to limit their run game the way the Eagles did. It will be up to offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to prove that the team’s historic start was no fluke.

It won’t be easy, either. The team will be without at least one important offensive lineman in center Erik McCoy, who was placed on injured reserve as he undergoes surgery to aid with a groin injury.

Kubiak was under fire, as is often the case for offensive coordinators when an offense struggles. But the criticism was overwhelmingly unwarranted.

Some were critical of Kubiak for sending running back Alvin Kamara up the middle too often against the Eagles. But only five rushes were designed to attack the A or B gaps. The A-gap is the space between the center and guard while the B-gap is between the guard and tackle. Most of Kamara’s rushes were, as has been the case with the new wide zone scheme, designed to go outside the tackles and get the explosive player out in space.

Any additional runs that went up the middle had more to do with the Eagles taking away the outside run first. Every outside zone run comes with a possible gap up the middle in case the defense plays the perimeter well.

Others accused New Orleans of abandoning motion, but 73 percent of their plays still had motion involved.

The lack of tight end usage also created some concerns, but for a lot of the game following losing McCoy, tight ends Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau were tasked to help in protection.

The one thing the Saints did not do at the rate that they typically would was call play action. But without the run game producing, that is a logical and common byproduct. 

New Orleans could have trouble moving the ball on the ground again in their Week 4 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. If that were to happen, how Kubiak responds and adjust will generate a more grounded evaluation of his play-calling.

Despite the loss of McCoy and a run game last week, Kubiak held as one of the better play callers in the NFL. His pass play calls in particular had a lot of success with receivers getting open and running free. But unfortunately, the pressure was too much for quarterback Derek Carr to have time to take advantage. 

If Kubiak is able to show an ability to navigate and circumvent what will be a limiting absence against the Falcons, it will go a long way toward proving his hot start was more than a mirage. 

Shane Waldron has been a massive disappointment so far in Chicago. Meanwhile, Kliff Kingsbury has successfully structured the offense around Jayden Daniels.

Zac Taylor, Brian Callahan, and Press Taylor all rank in the bottom half of the league. All three teams are 0-3. pic.twitter.com/hdv9X8ntcS

— Steven Patton (@PattonAnalytics) September 25, 2024