METAIRIE (AP) — The Saints’ once-prolific offense is lacking its usual punch, and coach Sean Payton sees a troubling pattern of fundamental breakdowns as the main cause.
“We’ll put a quick drive together, move the ball with efficiency and the very next sequence, we’ll have a penalty or a minus play or a turnover,” Payton said Monday after reviewing video of the Saints’ 30-20 loss at Arizona on Sunday.
Everyone expected more from the defending Super Bowl champs, who’ve had the NFL’s leading offense for three of the past four seasons.
“There’s an expectation level that we get accustomed to when we perform at a high level,” Payton said. “When you don’t meet those expectations, certainly there’s disappointment.”
Nearly a third of the way into their Super Bowl title defense, the Saints (3-2) have yet to produce on offense at a pace remotely close to that of last season, when they led the NFL in both yardage and scoring.
In winning all of their first five games in 2009, New Orleans piled up 22 offensive touchdowns, or more than double the number of TDs (10) they have so far in 2010. For all of last season, Brees averaged 8.5 yards per passing attempt, which ranked third in the NFL. So far this season, he averages 7.1 yards, which ties him for 13th with Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman and Tennessee’s Vince Young.
The Saints won all of their first six games by double digits last season. Their three victories this season have been by margins of five, three and two points.
The Saints have lost two of three games since Reggie Bush fractured a bone in his lower right leg. Pierre Thomas, who was the Saints’ leading rusher last season, has missed the past two games with a left ankle injury.
Other mistakes such as penalties and missed assignments have stalled drives close to opponents’ end zones. The Saints have had to settle for six short field goal tries — one of which was missed — in the past two games.
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