3 New Orleans Saints most to blame for brutal Week 3 loss to Eagles

There was no better story in the NFL two weeks into the 2024 season than the New Orleans Saints. Many expected them to finish at or towards the bottom or NFC South and comfortably miss the playoffs, but not only did they win their first two games, they dominated.

The Saints began their season by knocking off the Carolina Panthers 47-10. Sure, it was only the Panthers, but that was quite the statement. They were out to prove that their Week 1 win wasn't a fluke, and sure enough, they defeated the Dallas Cowboys on the road 44-19 to improve to 2-0.

They had a chance to improve to 3-0 with another impressive win, this time against the Philadelphia Eagles, and despite their offense no-showing for much of the afternoon, they had a chance to seal the deal. A Chris Olave touchdown gave the Saints a 12-7 lead with a little over two minutes to go. The Saints did not convert their two-point conversion, but were still one stop away from another win. They could not get it.

A 61-yard conversion to Dallas Goedert on 3rd and 16 put the Eagles in position to score, and one play later, Saquon Barkley punched it into the end zone for his second touchdown of the day. A two-point conversion would give the Eagles a three-point lead with a shade over one minute to go.

The Saints had one last chance to at least tie the game, but Derek Carr threw a game-winning interception to hand New Orleans a crushing loss. Here are some Saints who deserve blame for what just transpired.

3) Rashid Shaheed failed to provide the Saints with a spark

The Saints had the most explosive first two weeks of any team in the NFL, and it was thanks in large part to the play of third-year receiver Rashid Shaheed. He only had seven receptions in the two games, but amassed 169 yards and a pair of touchdowns, providing the Saints with major boosts on big plays.

In Week 1, he began the scoring for New Orleans by catching a 59-yard touchdown from Carr. He followed that up in Week 2 by scoring a 70-yard touchdown in Dallas. He wasn't Carr's No. 1 target on paper, but he looked as good as any receiver in the NFL. Unfortunately, after averaging over 80 yards per game in the first two weeks, Shaheed was invisible in Week 3.

He received five targets from Carr, but failed to catch a single one. Six Saints receivers caught a pass in this game, not one of them was Shaheed. The Saints managed just 12 points on the day, and there's a good chance that total would've been a lot higher had Shaheed found a way to contribute.

2) Derek Carr had an awful game against the Eagles

Few, if any quarterbacks were more efficient than Derek Carr, a player many NFL fans had written off entering the year, through the first two weeks of the season. He had thrown for 443 yards and five touchdowns compared to just one interception while completing nearly 77 percent of his throws. To put it lightly, he was locked in.

Week 3 was not the same at all for the Saints offense and Carr, who showed the NFL world why most fans were so out on him.

Carr completed just 14 of his 25 passes for 142 yards. He did pass for a clutch touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but in what wound up being their last drive of the game, he threw a costly interception, essentially ending the game right there.

All the Saints needed in that drive was three points and had a timeout to play with, but Carr opted to launch a throw into traffic, which ended up getting picked off. One great drive would've wiped away all of the bad from this game, but Carr came up short when the Saints really needed him most. He didn't have a good game overall, and blew it late.

1) Alvin Kamara followed up his breakout week with a dud

No running back in the NFL had gotten off to a better all-around start to this season than Alvin Kamara, who not only averaged 5.7 yards per carry through the first two weeks of the season and rushed for 198 yards, but he had seven receptions for 92 yards.

Kamara had five touchdowns through the first two weeks, four of which came on the ground. Four of the five also came in their Week 2 win in Dallas. Kamara was playing his best football in years, if not the best football in his entire career, at least as a rusher. Week 3 was a bit of a wake-up call, though.

The 29-year-old was given the ball 26 times on the ground but managed just 87 yards, averaging a minuscule 3.3 yards per carry. In the air, he recorded three receptions for 40 yards. 127 yards from scrimmage sounds like a great day on the surface, but considering the fact that he touched the ball 29 times on the day, it's not all that great. Kamara also failed to record a touchdown.

The Saints' offense ran through Kamara in all facets through the first two weeks. The Eagles knew that, and were able to limit him. Hopefully, he can find a way to get going again in a crucial Week 4 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.