Do Not Fall for the Saints Run Game, It Is Still Not Fixed

Entering the bye week, the New Orleans Saints had one of the worst running games in the NFL, and it was destroying their chances of winning. New Orleans was able to have a good rushing performance against the New York Giants in Week 6, but after seeing what happened in Paris against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was clear that it happened more because of the Giants' bad run defense. 

In Week 9, the Saints faced another struggling run defense. The Cleveland Browns have had a really good defense this year, but against the run, it's been another story. This was another game where the Saints could have had a decent rushing day, and they needed to. 

The Saints made changes, cutting Kendre Miller and firing run game coordinator T.J. Paganetti, while also adding Audric Estime to the roster. Estime was a player the Saints should have never moved on from before the season, and it was clear they regretted it. Estime is a player who can pick up really tough yards and break away from contact. Travis Etienne, Alvin Kamara, and Kendre Miller were not that type of players. The Saints are in a position where they have to rely on players to break tackles because of how bad the run blocking has been. 

A nice recipe for success was created, and it did show up against the Browns. Estime had one of the best rushing performances of the Saints' season, and all of his strengths showed up. He broke tackles, picked up tough yards, and stayed patient to find a perfect lane to run through. The Saints overall finished with 160 rushing yards, which, at face value, is a major bounce-back game, but it's important to look closer. 

Outside of Estime, QB Tyler Shough was the second-highest rusher with 51 yards, and that was mostly from broken plays or immediate pressure; the one designed run he had went for negative yards. The Saints also just struggled to run the ball consistently throughout the game, and there is little doubt that if Miller was still on the team and Estime wasn't, this rushing performance would have been much worse. 

It's just too early to say that the Saints have turned the running game around. 

Schedule-wise, next week will be against the Carolina Panthers' run defense, which also ranks very low in the league. Their first real test comes in Week 11 against the Chicago Bears, one of the league's better run defenses.