As the Saints prepare to take on the Carolina Panthers for the third time in 2017, there are some major issues on the offense. The team has found itself on the wrong end of third down conversions at several points in the season. Not having Brandin Cooks, or someone like him, is proving to be a problem.
Some of the issue is the result of lack of yardage on first down runs. The Saints are finding themselves too frequently in second and long behind first down runs for little to no gain. And that’s understandable. When you’re employing a runner like Mark Ingram to wear down a defensive line, it takes some runs like that to develop rhythm.