New Orleans Saints post poorest performance of season in Monday night loss to Chiefs

And the Saints will have a short week to attempt to break the spell, as they face Tampa Bay on Sunday in the Caesars Superdome.

OFFENSE: The Saints only turned over the ball once, but Derek Carr’s interception on the opening possession gave the Chiefs an extra possession and momentum that they never really relinquished. And by turning the interception into a touchdown drive, the Chiefs pushed New Orleans into a hole from which it never recovered. New Orleans totaled just 220 yards – 46 rushing on 15 attempts – and 14 first downs in 51 plays. If it seemed that the Saint barely had possession, it’s because they did, with a possession time of 20:04. All in all, it was the worst offensive showing of the young season and on top of that, Carr, who completed 18 of 28 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns, left the game with an oblique injury in the fourth quarter.

DEFENSE: Whereas the defense had been more than respectable in the previous two games and deserved a better fate than consecutive losses, allowing just two touchdowns and 27 points, the unit buckled against Kansas City. It couldn’t get stops on third down (the Chiefs were 6 of 14) and in large part because of that, Kansas City basically doubled the Saints in yards (460-220), time of possession (39:56-20:04) and first downs (28-14) while posting 80 plays on offense. The nadir came in the second quarter, when the Chiefs faced second-and-34 from their own 44-yard line after cornerback Alontae Taylor forced a fumble on a tackle for loss (Kansas City recovered) and a holding penalty. The Chiefs gained 13 yards on second down, 20 on a hook-and-ladder play from the Saints’ 43-yard line, and two on a fourth-and-1 run. That led to a field goal and a 13-7 lead, as the Chiefs scored on four of five first-half possessions. The defense did hold the Chiefs to 2 of 7 in the red zone, but it really needed to force a turnover and a few more three-and-outs.

SPECIAL TEAMS: When the offense and defense are slogging through, a special team play can provide adrenaline. That wasn’t the case Monday night. The unit didn’t commit a turnover but it didn’t force one, either. It didn’t flip field position with a good return and the snap-hold-kick operation on a point-after attempt was poor enough for Blake Grupe to miss a PAT that would’ve pulled New Orleans to within 16-14 in the fourth quarter.