9 Keys to Saints victory vs Bills

No one is giving the Saints a chance in this game, not even myself. Vegas has the spread as Bills between -15.5 and -16.5. Still, with the parity in the NFL you can always expect a good/great team to lay an egg at some point during the season.

Kellen Moore has consistently struck me as a coach that learns from obstacles. The more the Saints get wrong, the more data he has of what not to do so he can adjust.

The Saints have done plenty wrong, here's 9 things they can change that could lead to a surprise win.

1. Fewer WR screens, more TE/RB screens. The Saints are the 6th worst team at getting YAC. Kamara is king with 7.4, followed by Kendre at 6.3 and Juwan at 4.6. The next closest is Brandin Cooks at 2.6. Stop asking your small WR's to break tackles.

2. Deploy zone read and using Rattler as a runner. It's an easy way to add more runs into the gameplan but still giving the QB the ability to pull it and throw, it if something opens up.

3. More outside zone runs. With the exception of Kelvin Banks, every OL on this team was drafted to fit the zone run scheme. There's no reason we should be at 50/50 zone vs man. Lean more into outside zone 70/30 until you can get better guard play. I understand Moore enjoys his duo block philosophy but if the OL isn't designed for that, don't force it.

4. Scramble drill practice. Rattler is missing reads, but he's also the primary reason the Saints have the 9th worst time to pressure stat but have only given up 6 sacks. Big plays will have to be generated by receivers sneaking behind the defense when Rattler extends plays.

5. Minimize zone coverage - In the Saints last game they played zone coverage 90% of the time. That's a recipe for disaster when you don't have a pass-rush and the Saints are the worst team in the league (21.6 pressure rate) getting after quarterbacks.

6. More blitzing. The Saints have blitzed on 27 plays, putting them about middle of the pack. Here's the kicker, they are pretty good when they blitz, they've forced 6 incompletions and 2 sacks while giving up 3 TD's. They've allowed 16 completions 4 of them for 15 + Yards. The rest moderate gains.

7. Getting starting OL healthy. Did you know the Saints projected starting 5 hasn't played a single competitive snap together? They've only worked with each other in training camp practices as McCoy didn't play in Week 1 pre-season and Penning was injured shortly after.

8. Alontae Taylor leads the team in missed tackles (7). After three games he's on pace to shatter the (21) he missed in 2024. His flaw leads to big plays that go against the bend don't break philosophy of the defense. Saints should consider benching him for a series, a quarter, or game if he continues.

9. Play like it's the last game of the year Brent. The Bills are scoring 34PPG. In previous games the Saints appeared content with keeping things close. I know Moore's a Mormon, but he and the offense must get butt naked in Buffalo to keep pace with Josh Allen.