New Orleans leads the league in scoring offense and point differential. They also have the top redzone defense, yet they’re struggling to close out close games, something they have to learn to overcome against the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Monday is a good measuring stick for the Saints. All four of the Chiefs’ wins this season are one-score games. The Saints view Monday as an opportunity to get their swagger back and show they can win tight games.
“It’s a great challenge for us to hopefully be in a game like that and be able to make those plays at the end against the best football team in our league right now,” said Derek Carr, Saints quarterback. “For us, it’s a great challenge. I think both sides of the ball have shown flashes in the last three to two minutes of a game that we can do that. But it’s just at that moment what’s going to happen, time will tell.”
“To be a 4-0 team or to be a playoff team or to be one of those teams like that we have to figure out how to finish and figure out how to win,” said Saints head coach Dennis Allen. “We’re not there yet. We haven’t done that yet. But I think that time’s coming.”
The Saints will have to prove they’re a team that can win close games while badly injured. Fifteen players were listed on the initial injury report Wednesday with six not practicing.
Tight end Taysom Hill was among those not practicing Wednesday. Allen said Hill has fractured ribs but would not go into specifics.
