Concluding their Sunday matchup against the New England Patriots, the Saints have now claimed their fifth loss, with three of those games being within a score. Their inability to close out close games has held New Orleans back. To think with just one extra successful trip to the end zone in those three games within a score, the Saints' 1-5 record could be significantly better, sitting at 4-2.
When games come down to the last stretch, that's when you want to see your team play at its best, keeping mistakes to a minimum, and pull out the win, overshadowing all the ups and downs during the game, but New Orleans couldn't do so.
However, still being very early in the season, the Saints still have the opportunity to address their flaws in end-game situations and make the adjustments needed to win games when it comes down to the wire.
Improvements on both sides of the ball in close game that'll work in New Orleans favor
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These tweaks would help the Saints finish close games, but they also have the potential to keep the Saints out of close games. The offense and defense are close in some categories, but key deficiencies keep them from excelling. These tweaks have the ability to change the 2025 outlook and speed up the rebuild.
For the Saints offensively, their inability to capitalize in ideal situations set up by the opposite side of the ball will have to improve. The defense stalled the Patriots' offense twice in the fourth quarter, and the Saints responded with a fumble and a five-play drive before punting.
When your leading scorer is your kicker, it reflects difficulties for an offense. Thanks to the defense, however, they still had a chance to secure the lead. Almost mirroring the final few minutes of both the Cardinals' and 49ers losses, Rattler and the offense have been set up perfectly by the defense to end the game with a score but haven't been able to.
For the defensive side of the ball, the pass rush down the stretch of games will also need to improve. Keeping the opposing quarterback under distress is something we've seen the Saints struggle with throughout games, and the issue is magnified in crunch time. We also saw the defense implode as a whole, with just the front seven not making it home to disrupt the opponent's ability to move the ball.
As we approach mid-season in a few games, that's a strong enough sample size. The Saints have been close and could be a few adjustments away from winning close games. If New Orleans can properly make changes, it can very well change the trajectory of this year.