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While the Eagles’ offense has struggled to get off the ground, the New Orleans Saints’ offense has been a lightning bolt. They own the highest points per game total (36.7) and have averaged 42 points in the last three games. They’re even more dangerous at home (37.2) and they storm out of the gates with a league leading 19.4 points in the first half. That last number is only rising. In the last three games the Saints have averaged a gargantuan 29 first half points.

The first step in stopping them is understanding what they do well, which is a tall task in itself because there’s a ton to digest. One area that boosts their scoring is their 5th ranked red zone offense. They’ve found pay-dirt on 73% of their trips inside the 20-yard line. That number reaches 86% in the last three weeks.

For the Saints, their success obviously starts with future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees. Keeping the focus on the red zone, no quarterback with over 30 attempts has a better QB Rating (117.4). He’s 46/66 (69.7%) with 16 touchdowns and 0 interceptions when the field condenses.



His main weapons are the supremely talented Michael Thomas and the swiss army knife Alvin Kamara. Those two lead the league in red zone targets with 18 and 21 respectively. Thomas has hauled in 15 of those targets with 6 touchdowns while Kamara has caught 16 passes, adding 3 touchdowns of his own.

Kamara’s contributions on the ground have also been a boon. He’s toted the rock 38 times with 9 of those finding the end zone. Those numbers are second only to MVP candidate Todd Gurley.

So the Saints have three elite red zone players operating at a high level, but wait, there’s more. Perhaps the biggest pain in the caboose for defensive coordinators this year has been game-planning for what the Saints do with their backup dual-threat quarterback Taysom Hill.

Digging into what the Saints do well inside the 20, you have to start with Hill because he requires an entirely separate game-plan on his own.

DUAL-THREAT TAYSOM

The variety in which the Saints deploy Taysom Hill makes him more than just a one-dimensional gimmick. He does just enough with his arm to be a threat and is a weapon with his legs out of read and sprint options. They won’t just line him up at quarterback, they’ll put him out wide as a receiver and in tight doubles as a blocker.

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