The Times-Picayune · Jan 6, 2018
Saints still working to fix surprising third-down woes
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton during the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com |The Times-Picayune)A high third-down conversion rate has been a staple of the New Orleans Saints offense since Sean Payton became coach in 2006.
Somehow, though, third downs became problematic for the offense in 2017. Although the Saints had the No. 2 overall offense and ranked fourth in points scored in the regular season, they converted just 37.6 percent of third downs, ranking 19th in the NFL.
