As much as the New Orleans Saints offense has dazzled with its chunk-play, quick-strike ability through the first two games, it’s the hand-in-the-dirt element that has been catalyst to a 91-point explosion that includes 11 touchdowns and five field goals.
There were serious questions up front since the Saints, 2-0 entering game against Philadelphia in the Caesars Superdome, entered the season with new starters at left tackle, left guard and right tackle.
Answers haven’t definitively been provided, but the Saints have to love the fact that the temperature has lowered after posting 370 yards and six rushing touchdowns behind rookie left tackle Taliese Fuaga, left guard Lucas Patrick, center Erik McCoy, right guard Cesar Ruiz and first-year right tackle Trevor Penning.
The group has stacked its own highlight reel with blocks that have cleared lanes, left defenders flat on their backs and kept running backs clean into the second level of the defense.
“The good offenses that I’ve been around around here have always started up front with a good offensive line, ability to run the football, ability to protect the quarterback,” Coach Dennis Allen said Monday. “I think our offensive line two games in has played well, and there’s still a lot of things that I think we can improve on.
“So the focus for us is…let’s not start patting ourselves on the back. The focus for us is, how are we going to improve and how are we going to get better, because this is a long season. We’re only two games into it.”
Two very impressive games in, courtesy of a 47-10 home victory over Carolina in the opener, and a 44-19 domination of Dallas on the road Sunday.
Running back Alvin Kamara ran for three touchdowns, all in the red zone, and totaled four to become the only player in franchise history with multiple games of four or more touchdowns. Kamara ran for 115 yards on 20 carries and has totaled 198 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries, with all four scores in the red zone.
The Saints converted five of eight times on third down; three of the conversions came via the run.
“I think it’s all about making the defense have to defend the whole gamut of plays, defend the whole field,” Allen said. “I think sometimes you make it easy on the defense when you just want to drop back and pass it all the time and allow them just to rush the passer. And in particular, when you’re facing a team that rushes the passer as well as Dallas can.
“I think that’s something that’s just always part of the arsenal and you have it available to you. And it’s just really about making that call at the right time.”
Allen said the Saints needed to have a more productive run game this season and so far, that has been the case.
“To me, to be really successful in the red zone – both offensively and defensively – I think it starts with the ability to stop the run and the ability to run the ball in the red zone,” he said. “The field shrinks down there, there’s a lot less windows to throw the ball into.
“But if you’re able to run the ball effectively, and now all of sudden teams are having to bring more people down in the box, it opens up a lot more that you can do in the passing game. I just think that’s something we believe in, is the ability to run the football, really wherever we’re at (on the field).