Many people were picking the New Orleans Saints to finish first in the NFC South this season, but right now, their chances of doing so are looking at least somewhat bleak.
They lost a close game on Thursday to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 31-24, as they came close but failed to tie the score in the closing moments despite getting deep into the red zone on their final offensive drive.
Quarterback Derek Carr went just 33 of 55 and had only one touchdown pass while throwing an interception versus Jacksonville, and the Saints now rank toward the bottom of the NFL in several offensive categories.
Per the NFL on ESPN, Marcus Spears took offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael to task, saying he’s “not doing well.”
“Pete Carmichael I am watching you and you are not doing well.” @mspears96 pic.twitter.com/CXPAGfzxIV
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 20, 2023
One glaring deficiency on Thursday was New Orleans’ inability to convert on third downs — they went just 3 of 18 in such situations.
Inside of two minutes, with the team on the Jaguars’ six-yard line, Carr threw four straight incomplete passes, two of which could’ve resulted in a touchdown had they been caught.
Carr, a four-time Pro Bowler, hasn’t put up impressive stats this season, as he has thrown just six touchdown passes, and the Saints as a team are 26th in touchdown passes.
Fortunately, they will have some seemingly winnable games coming up against the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, and Minnesota Vikings over the next three weeks before their bye week, which will give them an opportunity to be over .500 when they have their break in Week 11.
After that, they will visit the Atlanta Falcons before they visit the upstart Detroit Lions.
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