Every week, Kellen Moore devises a game plan that aims to get the New Orleans Saints off to a strong start. The first-year coach has enough confidence in these plays that lately, the Saints have taken the ball first to begin the game, if they happen to win the coin toss. The Saints haven’t played much with a lead this season, so Moore wants to set a tone right away.
But more often than not, Moore sends the call in and watches it fail.
No team has arguably been worse on their opening possession this season than the Saints — who are averaging a league-low 4.22 plays per drive. A whopping 44.4% of New Orleans’ opening drives have resulted in a three-and-out, behind only Jacksonville and Denver.
“We’ve got to get some cleaner opps’, continue to get some freebies,” Moore said. “Get the sense of urgency going.”
In the NFL, teams map out their first 15-20 plays — commonly known as “the script.” They’re looks that can present a new flavor to the offense, or staples aimed to earn explosives. In an ideal setting, Moore said, these scripted plays last two to three drives before calling from the rest of the sheet.
The script also isn’t always straightforward, Moore said. Play-callers will vary up their rhythm within the selection of plays available, and Moore said third downs tend to be their own section, separate from the scripted plays.
But just looking at play counts, the Saints typically don’t reach their 15th play until well into the game. They’ve had four games — including last Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams — in which it took until the fourth drive to reach play No. 15. For the five other contests, the Saints have had three games in which they hit the threshold by their second drive and two others on their third.
Either way, they aren’t getting enough production. New Orleans has only one opening-drive touchdown: An 18-yard score from running back Kendre Miller to cap an impressive seven-play, 69-yard series in a Week 4 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
“When we’ve been starting games, we get behind the chains,” wide receiver Brandin Cooks said. “Next thing you know, (it’s) second-and-long, third-and-long. And when you get in that position in this league, the defenses are too good to be able to consistently convert that.”
How much is Moore to blame?
Play calling can be a tricky subject to analyze. Is it the plays, or has the execution simply not been good enough? Moore, for instance, isn’t dialing up a run play for Alvin Kamara on first-and-10 just so the running back can gain a yard — something that happened on the first play of the Rams game. It also isn’t Moore’s fault if his quarterback fumbles on the opening drive, like Spencer Rattler did in back-to-back games before he was benched. And at 1-8, the Saints' roster also obviously needs work.
But there have been curious moments. Against the Rams, Shough threw short of the sticks on third-and-7 for a 6-yard gain — and on that play, four of the five routes don’t get past the first-down marker. Against the Patriots, three underwhelming calls led the Saints to settle for an opening-drive field goal, despite a 53-yard gain from Chris Olave.
Moore’s track record as an offensive coordinator, too, hasn’t always been encouraging in this area. The Philadelphia Eagles, despite winning the Super Bowl, only scored two opening-drive touchdowns last season. The Los Angeles Chargers ranked around league average in 2023, while the Dallas Cowboys’ productivity varied between league average and bad. The 2020 Cowboys failed to score an opening-drive touchdown, although quarterback Dak Prescott missed most of the year.
Scripted play calls, of course, last longer than opening drives. Moore arrived in New Orleans with a reputation for being a strong play-caller, with those who knew him praising the coach for his intellect and ability to teach the game. His approach helped the Eagles win it all, and he’s had an above-average offense in four of his previous six seasons.
And to be fair to Moore, some of the Saints’ best plays this season have come within their first 15 to 20 plays. The bomb to Olave to open the Patriots’ game. A 39-yard play-action strike to Rashid Shaheed against the San Francisco 49ers. A 29-yard run from Taysom Hill. There are plays that are well-designed and look pretty when executed.
They’re just few and far between, whether that's on him or not.
“Obviously, it’s a commitment from the coaching staff,” offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier said. “We’ve got to do a better job of getting our guys the best plays early in the game. And we’ve got to do a better job of executing. “