NEW ORLEANS — When the season is over, I think we'll look back at this game as the one that ultimately knocked the Saints out of playoff contention.
The fact is, they were extreme long shots when Darren Rizzi took over as interim coach following the mid-season firing of Dennis Allen.
Expecting perfection, which is just about what it would have taken, was certainly asking too much.
But Sunday in the Superdome, the Saints were beaten by an average team.
And it's the game that ended Taysom Jill's season.
I certainly hope he hasn't played his last game in black and gold. Depending on how much the Saints decide to reshuffle their roster it's certainly possible that he has.
His evolution has been incredible to see, and he's been one of the most fun players to watch I think in Saints history.
4) A December Rerun
The game felt like a December rerun, because it was.
Last December, the Saints were on a two-game winning streak when they played the Rams, and Los Angeles crushed whatever playoff hopes the Saints had with an eight-point win.
This December, the Saints were on a two-game winning streak when they played the Rams and LA crushed whatever playoff hopes the Saints had with a seven-point win.
Matthew Stafford threw for two touchdowns in December of '23, and he threw for two touchdowns in December of '24.
Puka Nacua caught one of those TD passes in '23, and he caught one of those TD passes in '24.
Demarcus Robinson caught the other in '23, and he caught the other in '24.
And Kyren Williams rushed for the third LA touchdown in '23 and in '24.
Williams had exactly 104 rushing yards in each game.
The bottom line, Rams Coach Sean McVay had the Saints' defense off balance in the exact same way in both games.
3) Special K
At No. 3, overlooked in another loss, Alvin Kamara was brilliant again.
Kamara did have a couple of dropped passes, but he also had 27 total touches for 119 yards.
In a season in which Derek Carr has missed games, so has Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, Taysom Hill, Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz – these are probably your six most valuable offensive players besides Kamara – No. 41 has not only played in all 12 games, he's gotten the ball 265 times this season, which is second-most in the NFL.
Whatever the Saints do next year, Kamara will be part of it and that's a good thing.
2) Run Over
Do you know what does need to change in 2025?
The Saints run defense.
New Orleans was run over by the Rams.
They ran it for 156 yards on Sunday.
Kyren Williams averaged nearly seven yards a carry, which is just unacceptable and that set up all their play-action.
Fixing the run defense in the offseason has to be a priority.
Right now, the Saints are 26th in the NFL.
1) It's Nearly Over
It would literally take a miracle for the Saints to get to the playoffs.
It would take a five-game winning streak and they'd have to get help.
Two games back in the division doesn't sound like a lot, but the Saints are two games behind two different teams with only five games to go.
Now, they do get the New York Giants this weekend.
The Giants are the only team in the NFC that is mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
So the Saints should stay alive for another week – but barely.
Right now, the New York Times has the Saints playoff chances at less than one percent.
In the debate on whether Darren Rizzi is the long-term answer, this one does not shine favorably on his selection as permanent head coach.
But we've still got five more weeks to see how that debate plays out.
WWL Louisiana's '4 Takeaways' sponsored by Rouse's Markets, the official supermarket of the New Orleans Saints.
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