A lot of feel-good shine was muddied over last weekend, with the New Orleans Saints officially being eliminated from playoff contention Sunday and following up with a 34-0 road loss to the Packers on Monday.
Still, the Saints (5-10) are 3-3 under interim head coach Darren Rizzi entering Sunday's game against the Raiders (3-12) at noon in the Caesars Superdome, the Saints' last home game this season. There still is the chance to post a 3-2 home record under Rizzi and guarantee they'll finish no worse than .500 under his direction with a win.
Coming off the team's worst overall performance this season, here are a few things that can help finish out the home schedule with a victory:
1. SERVE AND PROTECT
Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler will make his fifth start for the Saints against the Raiders, and the mission hasn't' changed: The offensive line must do a much better job keeping the quarterback clean. That task becomes more difficult without two starters – center Erik McCoy (elbow) and left guard Lucas Patrick (knee) are out. Some of Rattler's decision-making against the Packers was compromised due to a lack of protection and other times, there were rookie growing pains. But the lessons from the growing pains can be accelerated if the line is at the top of its game. The Raiders are in the bottom 10 of the league with 33 sacks, but only allow 210 passing yards per game so they're doing something right. The line has to help Rattler locate the wrongs and take advantage of them.
2. INTENTIONAL GROUNDING
Rattler will benefit greatly from a better running game than was seen against Green Bay. Totaling 67 yards on 20 carries won't make an offense multidimensional, and New Orleans won't be successful as a one-dimensional offense. One of the few things the Raiders have done well this season is stop the run (117.9 yards allowed per game). Alvin Kamara (groin) won't be back on the field for this one, but Kendre Miller, Jamaal Williams and Jordan Mims only will be as good as the offensive line's blocking is. Toss in some blocking help from the perimeter and, hopefully, New Orleans can generate a balanced attack.
3. HANDLE YOUR BUSINESS
The Raiders average 77.5 rushing yards per game, far and away the fewest in the NFL. But Las Vegas undoubtedly welcomes the opportunity to challenge the Saints' run defense, which gave up 188 yards to Green Bay and surrenders 138 per game, third-most in the league. New Orleans has been plagued all season by missed assignments and missed tackles and it'll see the best that Alexander Mattison (368 yards and four touchdowns on 116 carries) has to offer. If the run defense is going to have a standout game this season, the numbers strongly suggest that this will be the one.
4. AIRTIGHT
If the Raiders are going to do significant damage on offense, it likely will happen via the combination of quarterback Aiden O'Connell (63.2 percent completions, 1,156 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions) and tight end Brock Bowers (101 catches for 1,067 yards and four touchdowns), who possibly will be the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Can New Orleans successfully handle Bowers? The answer to that question probably will show on the scoreboard.
5. BOOKEND
The Saints have won just three home games this season but have a chance to bookend the home schedule with wins. It's not humongous in the grand scheme, but it'd give New Orleans a winning home record under Rizzi and the team at least would exit its 2024 home schedule with a taste of victory. That's significant to players and coaches.
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