2 Weeks in a row DEFENSE FAILED to Close!! (22 Viewers)

[ravenblade23x]

Who cares whose fault it is...this is just semantics at this point. Plenty of blame to go around in all three phases of the game, as well as coaching. It's easy to just point the blame at the defense because they where the last unite on the field, but if the muff punt had happened on the last play of the game the results would still be the same we lost.

NFL is like any game....the final result is not based on a single play but a collective of all that has transpired. The first play you make in chess is just as important as the checkmate at the end.

 

[TomThomster7]

The offense failed to seal the win against Philly. The offense had the ball with about the same amount of time Atalanta had today and instead of moving the ball down the field and scoring, they threw a bad interception. So, the offense failed to close the Philly game out.

The reason the Saints had the ball at the end of the game was because the defense allowed a go-ahead TD.
If the defense does their job, the Saints get the ball back and are able to run the clock out.
The defense, alas, failed to close the game out.

 

[Elvis]

The reason the Saints had the ball at the end of the game was because the defense allowed a go-ahead TD.
If the defense does their job, the Saints get the ball back and are able to run the clock out.
The defense, alas, failed to close the game out.

That's the way I see it too. This isn't the Brees and Payton era with the leagues best offense and a subpar defense. It's flipped now. I know people want to believe that Kubiak was the missing ingredient for the offense, but we're also low on talent and depth.

 

[DaveXA]

Should be but we didn’t get the wins. Both games we had the lead with 2minutes left and they can’t hold. If are supposed to be top5 defense we need to hold teams when it matters MOST!!! I’ll die on this hill. Because all good defenses and true contenders find a way to win at the end of games and hold on defense.

Kinda hard to do when you're expected to carry the load as much as they have the rest of the game. You do realize defenses get tired at the end of games? There's a saying that goes something like "whoever has the ball last will win the game" for a reason.

 

[Alan12]

You don't understand finishing for the offense IS putting us in the lead with little time left in the game.

And you don’t seem to understand that our offense and special teams spotted Atlanta’s offense 14 points before the defense ever gave up a single point.

This ain’t baseball. If the offense gives up a defensive TD, the win % for the team losing the turnover plummets dramatically to something like ~30%. If they give up TWO defensive TD’s in one half, you can about guess how slim the odds become then.

Other than the final 1:04, we literally trailed the majority of the game BECAUSE of those 2 TD’s the offense gave up and then their inability to retake the lead despite the defense keeping us within 6 points the entire time. The defense kept us within a one score striking distance, yet the offense just refused to strike until it was too late then expected the defense to bail them out yet again after doing it all day.

With how the defense played today, we should’ve won this game by 2 scores if not for the offense’s gifting Atlanta points. The defense did their job, without their performance today we get blown out. Plain and simple.

This team isn't a 3 equal parts team. The defense has more talent and depth that the offense does. It's supposed to be a top 5 defense that the rest of the team can lean on. The offense was thin going into the year and is thinner now.

Besides, the offense fought to get the go ahead score late in the game. They did what was expected of them.

Not an excuse. Offense was 2nd in scoring coming into this game, even after last week’s stinker.

Defense gave up only 12 points without Davis and losing Gay, Mathieu, and Taylor for awhile.

I don’t care if the defense is the best in the league, expecting them to win you the game after your offense spots them 14 points and then wastes half the game twiddling their thumbs is not on the defense. Without the defense, the offense never would’ve had a shot to even take the lead late.

This game was lost by not being able to adjust after losing Taysom in the first half. Scored 10 points after he exited today and scored only 12 points last week without him so the last 2 weeks this offense has averaged 11.0 ppg without Taysom on the field. That’s a problem.

 

[Saintman2884]

Let's say a baseball team leads 8 innings at a score of 2-0, then at the top of the 9th inning, the listing team scores 3 runs to make the score 2-3, but at the bottom of that 9th inning, the pitcher gives up a 2-run homer to lose the game 4-3.

Then the next game that same team is losing 3-1 going into the 9th but score 3 runs going into the top of the 9th to make the score 4-3 but then gives up a another 2-run homer to lose the game 5-4.

Whose fault is it?

Bad relievers and terrible, incompetent closers who are also defined as being part of the larger pitching staff. Baseball, like football, is situational and a great starting pitcher who has a 2-0 lead going into the 8th inning also 80-95% of the time needs more runs as a cushion to ensure his good day stands or isn't forked up by a inept, mediocre set of relievers/closers.

A good MLB team like Braves, Yankees, Astros not only have decent-to-good starting pitchers, they also have a trio of great relievers and closers who hold on and MAINTAIN those leads their starters worked their arses off to leave them with. Thats why teams like Atlanta, Cleveland, especially Houston Astros, and Yankees make the playoffs every year and teams like the Reds, Pirates, or even would-be contenders like Mariners don't because they have below average closers/relievers or suck in close games.

A strong set of relievers/closers are one huge, integral difference between why their teams win 88, 89, or 90 wins and why others go 76-86, or finish 4-5 games out of the WC race like Mariners and Twins.

 

[Elvis]

Not an excuse. Offense was 2nd in scoring coming into this game, even after last week’s stinker.

Defense gave up only 12 points without Davis and losing Gay, Mathieu, and Taylor for awhile.

I don’t care if the defense is the best in the league, expecting them to win you the game after your offense spots them 14 points and then wastes half the game twiddling their thumbs is not on the defense. Without the defense, the offense never would’ve had a shot to even take the lead late.

This game was lost by not being able to adjust after losing Taysom in the first half. Scored 10 points after he exited today and scored only 12 points last week without him so the last 2 weeks this offense has averaged 11.0 ppg without Taysom on the field. That’s a problem.

The offense took the lead with 60 seconds left to play. The defense let the Falcons score and win. If the defense needs a multiple score lead to win, they need a time machine to go and play with Brees and Payton. Carr and DA aren't up to the task. End of story.

 

[Alan12]

The offense took the lead with 60 seconds left to play. The defense let the Falcons score and win. If the defense needs a multiple score lead to win, they need a time machine to go and play with Brees and Payton. Carr and DA aren't up to the task. End of story.

Doesn’t change the fact the defense still gave up fewer points than the offense gave up.

The offense pissed this game away. End of story.

 

[SystemShock]

Should be but we didn’t get the wins. Both games we had the lead with 2minutes left and they can’t hold. If are supposed to be top5 defense we need to hold teams when it matters MOST!!! I’ll die on this hill. Because all good defenses and true contenders find a way to win at the end of games and hold on defense.

Yeah....

The Eagles game, the Saints gained a lead when they scored 12 points on their 4th FG very late in the 4th quarter. Let that sink in first.... now, the Saints D not only held the Eagles to 15 points, they created 4 turnovers. Add to that, STs blocking, which let to 0 points by the offense.

This game, the offense and STs spotted the Clowns 14 very cheap points. Yet, the Saints D allowed only 4 FGs, 3 of them 50+, including the last one which was 58 yards on a 4th and 10, delivered 1 turnover, and in the process, this Saints team became only the 3rd team in NFL history to lose a game in which the defense did not allow a TD.

It is the offense that has to overcome the other team's defensive and ST TDs. Not the defense.

Again, you can't expect the Saints Defense to become the 85 Bears and continuously bail out the ineptitude of the offense, and hang goose eggs every time, especially in a game that greatly favors offense over defense.

And yes, the Saints D is a top 5 defense. They have been the constant these last 4 games, even with the injuries. They have yet to allow 20 points. They have actually gotten better the past 3 weeks:
Allowed 19 pts to Dallas.
Allowed 15 pts to Philly.
Allowed 12 pts to Atlanta.

The offense, on the other hand, razzled and dazzled against 2 bad teams, then hit a wall. But you are giving a pass to the offense. Worth noting, the Eagles game ended on a Carr INT.

Would've been nice if the defense held the Eagles to 7 points and the Clowns to 9, but again, that's 85 Bears/00 Ravens territory. You cannot ask a defense to hold teams to below 10 scoring every game.

It would've been nice as well if the offense would've capitalized on those 5 turnovers against the Eagles and scored a measly TD, or kick FGs instead of getting stuffed on 4th downs, or that one extra point been good, or that Carr didn't throw that pick-6, or that Shaheed didn't muff a punt in the endzone....

But, oh, no... the defense didn't hold teams to less than 10 points in a game that greatly favors offense. It's all their fault.

Give me a break.

 

[SystemShock]

The offense took the lead with 60 seconds left to play. The defense let the Falcons score and win. If the defense needs a multiple score lead to win, they need a time machine to go and play with Brees and Payton. Carr and DA aren't up to the task. End of story.

And if the offense needs the defense to hold teams to less than 10 points because the offense can't overcome their mistakes and the mistakes of STs, well...

 

[Elvis]

Doesn’t change the fact the defense still gave up fewer points than the offense gave up.

The offense pissed this game away. End of story.

The offense only gave away one touchdown on a pick 6. I don't know why you're attributing the special teams TD to them unless you only checked the score and didn't actually watch the game.

 

[Elvis]

And if the offense needs the defense to hold teams to less than 10 points because the offense can't overcome their mistakes and the mistakes of STs, well...

Yeah, that's what the team is. It's what Loomis and DA built and what Kubiak has to coach. The offense is paper thin and now has injuries all over the place. No TE to speak of. McCoy, Ruiz, AK, Hill and Olave all hurt. Back ups not good enough to step up. And they didn't score 10, they scored 24.

 

[SaintsFanInLA]

Bad relievers and terrible, incompetent closers who are also defined as being part of the larger pitching staff. Baseball, like football, is situational and a great starting pitcher who has a 2-0 lead going into the 8th inning also 80-95% of the time needs more runs as a cushion to ensure his good day stands or isn't forked up by a inept, mediocre set of relievers/closers.

A good MLB team like Braves, Yankees, Astros not only have decent-to-good starting pitchers, they also have a trio of great relievers and closers who hold on and MAINTAIN those leads their starters worked their arses off to leave them with. Thats why teams like Atlanta, Cleveland, especially Houston Astros, and Yankees make the playoffs every year and teams like the Reds, Pirates, or even would-be contenders like Mariners don't because they have below average closers/relievers or suck in close games.

A strong set of relievers/closers are one huge, integral difference between why their teams win 88, 89, or 90 wins and why others go 76-86, or finish 4-5 games out of the WC race like Mariners and Twins.

So, that would be the defense, then?

 

[Treybad]

?????? Defense is not the reason we lost any games.....wake up.... Carr is the reason we lost 2 games

 

[Saintman2884]

So, that would be the defense, then?

Situational defense, in the last minute, but mostly, no. A larger portion of the blame probably belongs on the offense for not scoring more points, Carr for his "pop-up fly ball" interception-return for a TD and our offensive play-calling that saw us go without scoring some points in earlier red-zone opportunity in the 4th quarter where we turned the ball over on downs.