Saints Report #1 September 10, 2023

The Saints started their season with a nail-biting 16-15 barn burner that taught us a few things:

• The Defense is good.  Very Good. Marshawn Lattimore is probably the best cornerback we've ever had, and Demario Davis just seems to get better and better.  The defense is solid, and when they held the Titans to a field goal after a fumble of the opening kick-off, (an event that prompted me to utter the immortal words of a friend, "Wait til next year,") I felt we were going to win.  Imagine if Drew had had this defense for about 5 years.  There aren’t any more Derrick Henry’s on the schedule, right?
• The Saints kept the right kicker. We had our doubts, didn’t we?  While Blake Groupe was hammering the ball through poles, Wil Lutz was missing a field goal, an extra point, and flubbing an onside kick in Denver’s 1 point loss, undoubtedly irritating Sean Payton, who may have kept the wrong kicker. 
• Derek Carr looked good.  He’s a good Quarterback.  No one has ever called him a great one, but we don’t need great with this defense.  He has talented wide receivers to work with and he should be fine, if we find a running game to help him out.
• The offensive line was not good enough, but we have to remember that the Titans have a pretty good defense.  Fortunately, the Titans Quarterback looks like a journeyman, which is what he will probably be pretty soon.
• The Saints couldn’t run the ball, which is a must, but they came up with one big run at the end of the game to seal the win in the fourth quarter when first downs that keep the clock running are just as important as kicking field goals.
• Finally, the officials haven’t changed.  They missed an obvious interference call, and a disputed touchdown catch could’ve gone either way.  Those potential 14 points would’ve broken the game open.  As I left the Caesar’s Superdome and walked down the “over/under” ramp and out onto “longshot” road I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe the NFL likes to keep the games close.  

I didn't get a chance to write my annual NFL prediction column this year, so here it is:

Patrick Mahomes (unless he gets hurt).