NEW ORLEANS — WWL Louisiana Sports Director Doug Mouton has four takeaways from the Saints game against the Chiefs.
Here's the bright spot: The Saints will not play the Chiefs again. In fact, they won't play the AFC West for four years. That's good because after Monday night, I'm convinced if the Saints and the Chiefs played each other 10 times, Kansas City would win at least nine of those 10.
The Chiefs more than doubled the Saints in yards gained and they had the ball for almost two-thirds of the game. The score was closer than the game felt.
I try to focus all my takeaways from the Saints' perspective.
#4 - Mahomes Magic
But for #4, Patrick Mahomes was magic Monday night. Time after time, he made ridiculous plays to elude and then connect. The Patrick Mahomes we're seeing now is early 90s Michael Jordan.
He's playing at a level no one else is. Here's the thing I love about Patrick Mahomes: He really doesn't care about his personal numbers. His passer rating Monday night was mediocre, 16th best of the starting quarterbacks this week, because he didn't throw a touchdown pass.
And I'm positive he couldn't care less. Like Michael Jordan, all he cares about is winning. Mahomes is now 79-22 as an NFL starting quarterback, meaning he's won 78 percent of the games he's started. That's better than Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Joe Montana.
It's the best winning percentage of any QB in the last 50 years. And Monday night without his best running back or his best wide receiver. One of the greatest of all time carved up the Saints.
#3 - O Line Destroyed
The Saints Offensive Line was just destroyed. In Weeks 1 and 2 with a healthy o-line. The Saints ran the ball extremely effectively, which fueled the play-action pass. It wasn't as wady in Weeks 3 and 4, but the Saints were able to grind out yards on the ground.
Monday night, that didn't happen, and with no run game, the Saints threw it long way more often, seven passes of 20 yards or more. The Saints were averaging three of those a game, and Derek Carr was one of seven on those throws.
It felt desperate.
Right now, the Saints are missing their two best offensive linemen, and as long as both of these guys remain out, it's going to be tough sledding for whoever plays quarterback.
#2 - Who's the QB?
It appears Derek Carr is now out for multiple games. By QB rating, Carr is the 8th best passer in the NFL. So now it's Jake Haener or Spencer Rattler. Haener has an extra year in the organization. The team likes him; he was the No. 2, and if I had to guess, I'd put the odds at 60/40 that Haener will be the starter.
But personally, I'd rather see Rattler get the chance. I think he has more upside, and he's definitely quicker on his feet, and with a struggling offensive line, that's a real advantage.
Either way. Klink Kubiak's assignment this week is to come up with a game plan for the first-time starting quarterback with a struggling offensive line against a team that is currently in a playoff spot.
#1 - Season on the Brink
The season is now on the brink.
The runaway optimism of the first two weeks is gone. Two plays, Dallas Goedert's 60-yard catch and run and Paulson Adebo's last-minute pass interference kept the Saints from beating the Eagles and Falcons.
But they weren't outclassed. Monday night, they were.
The Saints' next three opponents have all been pretty good right now. They're all playoff teams. It's not time to start studying next year's draft yet, but right now, optimism is running low after a disheartening loss to the Super Bowl champs.
That's my 4 Takeaways from Kansas City.
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