The New Orleans Saints dropped their sixth game in a row on Sunday, and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is a major reason.
Klint Kubiak was on course to become a New Orleans Saints legend after leading the team’s offence to a historic performance in the first two weeks of the season. Unfortunately for Kubiak, things have changed quickly, and New Orleans now boasts one of the league’s least productive offences in recent weeks.
On Sunday, the Saints lost their sixth straight game, scoring only eight points against the Los Angeles Chargers. A safety scored two of those scores on a special teams play. The remaining six came from two field goals of more than 40 yards.
New Orleans was still without Derek Carr and Erik McCoy, but the offense’s issues were more serious than missing players. Kubiak was clearly responsible for a few difficulties.
The offence accomplished one thing right versus Los Angeles: run the ball. The Saints ran 21 times for 117 yards—5.6 yards per carry. The problem is that the team only ran 21 times and averaged 5.6 yards per carry.
When an offence struggles, as the Saints did, it must identify and stick with successful strategies. The run game was effective, but Kubiak would occasionally abandon it for unknown reasons.
When he did decide to step away from the rushing attack, it was usually for some mediocre passing plays. People wondered if the Saints reduced the playbook for rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler based on the passing ideas they used in Sunday’s game. A lot of the calls were extremely safe, and it didn’t appear that the offence was attempting to be aggressive.
When a unit approaches a game with a “don’t lose it” mentality, they are usually doomed. On Sunday, the Saints’ offence was doomed from the outset. They refused to stick to their strength, running the ball, and were far too conservative in the passing game.
Kubiak could have Derek Carr back for New Orleans’ next game, which could make all the difference in how the new offensive coordinator calls it. Hopefully, Kubiak can guide the Saints to a more productive performance.
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