Things were so bad for the New Orleans Saints in Week 3 that one star had to send a message to fans, and another had a parting shot for the Philadelphia Eagles team that upended them.
So yes, that first loss of the season is not going over well with the Saints.
And part of that might be the blowback that matches the muted, if not outright negative expectations that chased the Saints into the season.
For example, over at Bleacher Report, the main takeaway for the Saints now is that the team might “lack grit to be considered among NFC's best” this year:
“New Orleans was particularly soft at the point of attack, especially in the fourth quarter when the Eagles' talented offensive front leaned on the Saints defense. Conversely, the Eagles defensive front seven was feisty throughout the contest and held New Orleans to 3.1 yards per carry.”
During the 15-12 loss at home, the Saints looked more like the team that national narrative seemed to suggest before the season, with Derek Carr throwing one touchdown and interception and the defense getting gashed for 172 rushing yards and two scores on a 6.9 average.
Whether the showing is an anomaly or the Saints can get back to being the team that won its first two games by margins of 47-10 and 44-19 remains to be seen.
But this takeaway about the Saints being a fluky contender will be put to the test in the coming weeks when they play a competitive Atlanta Falcons team, then hit the road to encounter the underrated Kansas City Chiefs and then play host to the 2-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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