The New Orleans Saints came into the 2024 NFL season with some significant questions along the offensive line in front of quarterback Derek Carr. Before the season even started for the Saints, they lost one of their key players on the offensive line, Ryan Ramcyzk, for the season. His loss forced the Saints to reshuffle their offensive line in a big way.
The Ramczyk injury forced the Saints to move Trevor Penning away from his regular left tackle position to the right side of the line. In place of Penning, the Saints turned to their rookie left tackle Taliese Fuaga. Through the first two weeks of the season, it looked like the right move for the Saints. The Saints offense, behind new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, got off to a record-setting start to the season, and Carr looked like the potential MVP-candidate Raiders’ fans believed he was in Oakland/Las Vegas.
Now, with an injury to center Erik McCoy, the Saints may be forced to do even more shuffling along the offensive line, and it could have a major impact on the season going forward. While the Saints got off to a hot start this season, they cooled down dramatically in Week 3, as they dropped their first game of the season to the Philadelphia Eagles, only scoring 12 points in the process.
That lack of production on the offense was a far cry from the Saints’ first two games of the season, where they scored 47 in the season opener against the Carolina Panthers and followed it up with a 44-point performance the next week against the Dallas Cowboys. A big reason for the dip in production was the pressure the Eagles defense was able to get on Carr. Philadelphia was able to get pressure on Carr on 44% of his passes, leading to just 19 yards and an interception on those throws.
The passing game wasn’t the only facet of New Orleans’ game impacted by the offensive line struggles, either. The running game – which had been strong for the Saints through two weeks – saw a significant dip in production as well. Running back Alvin Kamara had averaged well over 5 yards per carry in each of the Saints’ first two games. That dipped to just 3.3 yards per carry in the loss to the Eagles.
Now, with McCoy on the shelf after groin surgery, the Saints could be in big trouble going forward. They got off to a hot start, but if the offensive line can’t protect Carr and can’t block for Kamara, it may wind up being a long season for a team who looked poised to take the NFC South crown after two weeks.
