The gross ineptitude of the Saints season continues with losses to the Chargers

The New Orleans Saints lost their sixth straight game on Sunday. This game was played on the road by the Los Angeles Chargers with a score of 26:8. It was the first time since the 2005 season that the Saints had lost six games in a row.

New Orleans, now 2-6, scored its first score of the game on a botched Chargers punt that resulted in a safety. This 2-0 lead remained until the end of the first quarter. Unfortunately for the Saints, it usually takes more than baseball offense to win football games.

A slightly improved defense kept the Saints in the game for a while. At halftime it was 9:5 in favor of the Chargers and after three quarters the lead was 16:8. Offensive ineptitude, defensive mishaps and an inability to play in crucial moments against a doomed New Orleans.

It was a familiar script and a predictable outcome from a bad football team. Some fans blame the coach, the injury excuse, or some specific players. Make no mistake, this continues to be a futile team effort.

Over the last 10 quarters, the Saints have scored just 18 points and one touchdown in garbage time. New Orleans had a decent 366 yards of total offense and an average of 5.6 yards per rush against a good Chargers defense. They also went abysmal on third downs at 2/16, drove the ball inside the Chargers' 20 just once in 13 possessions, and hit a season-high nine times on the day.

Rookie QB Spencer Rattler got his third straight start in place of the injured Derek Carr. For the first time, Rattler had a full week to prepare his game plan. He also had almost full offense for the first time, with Chris Olave, Taysom Hill, Cesar Ruiz and Lucas Patrick all returning from injury.

Rattler completed just 12 of 24 throws for 156 yards before being lifted for Jake Haener at the end of the third quarter. He looked shy and uncomfortable, but drops, poor blocking and an extremely conservative game plan didn't help him much.

Olave and WR Bub Means were in the injury tent all afternoon. Tight end Juwan Johnson continued his inconsistencies. When the Saints managed to get some semblance of a drive, it was often wiped out by a penalty from their offensive linemen.

When Taliese Fuaga, Trevor Penning, Lucas Patrick or Cesar Ruiz weren't committing penalties, they were sniffing out blocks. Los Angeles' pass rushers streamed into the backfield. Fuaga had his worst performance as a pro, but he wasn't much better than the rest of his teammates at the front.

The Saints were aggressive and effective in defense. They stuffed the run, suffocated the receivers, penetrated the backfield and cut off pass catchers on short gains.

The Chargers were just 3 of 12 on third downs and had 378 yards of total offense. Not great, but a far cry from what the Saints had given up in the last three games and four of five games.

As the game progressed, New Orleans began to experience the same issues that have dogged them all year. Poor tackling, both in effort and fundamentals, allowed the Charger ball carriers to gain important additional yardage. Coverage breakdowns in the second half led to big plays that the Saints' hitless offense simply couldn't keep up with.

An invisible pass rush in New Orleans was particularly annoying. They were under pressure early to influence the game but disappeared when the team needed it most. The Saints had three sacks, but that's a misleading number. When New Orleans was able to get to Justin Herbert, he often escaped pressure easily, breaking tackles or escaping to make big plays with his legs or find receivers on the run.

The Chargers are not a good offense at all. That didn’t seem to be the case against the Saints. It wasn't the first time this season and probably won't be the last.

On the Saints' first possession, they drove the ball just above midfield. On fourth down and less than a yard away, a conservative team hit the ball instead of rolling to gain early points and momentum.

The strategy paid off as New Orleans gained safety after stopping the Chargers. However, this defense was last or near last in all major categories early in the game. Instead, the call had the impression that the Saints were once again “coaching scared.”

Founding Spencer Rattler was the right move. However, it was clear from the game plan and play instructions that New Orleans had no confidence in the rookie. If that were the case, why not Jake Haener? Once again, New Orleans showed a crippling inability to adjust to anything their opponents were successfully doing on both sides of the ball.

Dennis Allen's Saints are now 4-18 when playing a team with a record of .500 or better. There are several reasons for this. This team has been regularly outscored by opponents with the same level of talent, but the Saints are also outscored by their coaches almost every week.

Is it all Dennis Allen's fault? Absolutely not. It's also time to lump this mess of head coach, staff, human resources, front office and ownership together. Firing Dennis Allen won't cure everything that's going on with the Saints. However, it is a step that seems long overdue. This would at least indicate that the ownership and front office are not only holding poor performances accountable, but are also willing to provide direction that the entire franchise is currently lacking.