Offline
By Les East
Special to The Advocate
METAIRIE — An offense that leads the NFL in yards gained, is third in yards gained on first down and is fourth in third-down conversions probably shouldn’t be tied for 25th in red-zone efficiency.
That’s the incongruity of the New Orleans Saints offense, which is averaging 400.4 yards per game, 6.21 yards per first-down play and is converting 45.5 percent of its third downs into first downs, but is struggling once it nears the opponent’s goal line.
Red-zone efficiency is measured by the percentage of possessions in which a team runs at least one play inside the opponent’s 20-yard line that end in a touchdown.
The Saints have had 30 “red-zone” possessions and just 13 (43.3 percent) have resulted in touchdowns. Ten have resulted in field goals and a whopping seven have yielded no points. The league average is 50.8 percent.
Full Story - Baton Rouge Advocate