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NFL: 7 biggest surprises through Week 2

By Bryce Olin

Sep 14, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Billy Winn (90) and guard Joel Bitonio (75) celebrate after Billy Cundiff (not pictured) kicked the game winning field goal to defeat the New Orleans Saints 26-24 at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 14, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Billy Winn (90) and guard Joel Bitonio (75) celebrate after Billy Cundiff (not pictured) kicked the game winning field goal to defeat the New Orleans Saints 26-24 at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 7, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons strong safety William Moore (25) causes a fumble by New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston (12) during overtime at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons defeated the Saints 37-34 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 7, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons strong safety William Moore (25) causes a fumble by New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston (12) during overtime at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons defeated the Saints 37-34 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

1. New Orleans Saints

How many losses do the Saints have to reach without winning a game before the bags start coming back?

The Saints simply can’t win on the road. In their last ten road games, dating back to last season, the Saints are 3-7. Wasn’t this team supposed to be the team to beat in the NFL?

The Saints haven’t looked bad, per se, in their first two games, but they haven’t looked like the Saints of old. During Monday night football, I realized why: Darren Sproles is gone.

The Saints are missing a huge piece of their offense from the last three seasons. With the Saints between 2011-13, Sproles accumulated 1,067 rushing yards, 1,981 receiving yards, and 22 touchdowns (one TD as a punt returner).

Games Rushing Receiving
Year G Yds TD Rec Yds TD
2011 16 603 2 86 710 7
2012 13 244 1 75 667 7
2013 15 220 2 71 604 2
3 yrs 44 1067 5 232 1981 16

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/16/2014.

I mean, those are three seasons worth of production, but it’s still something when you think about the type of difference maker Sproles can be working underneath coverage or in the screen game.

Right now, the Saints don’t have a replacement for Sproles, which has taken away a dimension of the offense. Now, Brees is relying on his receivers to get open down the field without the threat of running back sneaking out of the backfield. Linebackers can get deeper in their coverage and get in throwing lanes, or the linebackers can blitz freely knowing Pierre Thomas is going to take a 50-yard screen pass to the house.

The Saints are still a really good football team offensively and rank near the top of every offensive category: 29.0 points per game (second), 434.5 yards per game (third), 278.0 passing yards (sixth), 155.0 rushing yards (fifth).

Most of the problems have been on the defensive side of the ball. The Saints have allowed 31.5 points per game, the second-worst in the league behind the Jaguars. That has to get better if the Saints are going to be a winning football team.

New Orleans also hasn’t been the opportunistic defense that they’ve been in the past. Through two games, the Saints have only sacked the opposing quarterback twice and haven’t intercepted a pass yet.

Ultimately, I think the Saints will right the ship and be back in the playoffs at the end of the season. On the bright side, they’re only a game behind the Packers, Seahawks, and 49ers in the NFC. That’s not that bad.

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