Local Boy Becoming New Orleans Saints Standout
The New Orleans Saints haven’t had the start to the 2025 season that they wanted to have, but there are pieces fans should be happy about.
New Orleans brought local boy Justin Reid to town this past offseason after spending the first seven seasons of his NFL career with the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs. His first four seasons were spent with the Texans followed up three seasons with the Chiefs. Reid was a third-round pick in 2018 and has developed into a solid starter in the NFL. Reid was a part of two Super Bowl wins for the Chiefs, and a Super Bowl loss this past February.
The Saints targeted him as a potential fit for the defense this past offseason and even they likely couldn't have known as important of a piece he would become. Tyrann Mathieu was still with the Saints as of Reid's signing. He retired leading to the Saints signing Julian Blackmon. Now, Blackmon is lost likely for the rest of the 2025 season.
The New Orleans Saints made the right move bringing Justin Reid in
Reid went from potentially starting alongside Mathieu to now being paired with rookie safety Jonas Sanker. Beyond these two, the Saints have Jordan Howden and Terrell Burgess. Howden is in his third NFL season and Burgess is in his fifth season, but first with the Saints and first seeing NFL action since 2023.
That's why Reid has become such an integral piece for this defense. Heading into the season, it was known that he would be good and hopefully help the defense. But, with injuries, youth, and retirement impacting this secondary, Reid is now the glue holding the safety room together in general in his first year in New Orleans. So far this season, he has started all three games for New Orleans and has one pass defended and 15 tackles under his belt.
He's holding opposing quarterbacks to a 66.7 completion percentage on 12 targets against him so far, this is already better than the 77.4. percent mark he set last year. Reid was brought in this offseason in a somwhat surprising move, now it's difficult to think where the Saints would be if they hadn't signed him.
Bears Coach Doesn’t Hold Back on Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty Before Week 4 Game
The Las Vegas Raiders have faced some of the NFL’s stingiest run defenses through their first three games. The New England Patriots (181 yards), Los Angeles Chargers (284 yards), and Washington Commanders (302 yards) rank among the league leaders in fewest rushing yards allowed,
As the Raiders prepare to take on the Chicago Bears, the ground game could see a boost. Chicago has surrendered 418 rushing yards so far this season, and this Week 4 matchup might be what Ashton Jeanty needs to find his rhythm.
Despite not having the best run defense, Chicago will not want to be the team that Jeanty goes off on. Ahead of the Week 4 clash, Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen shared his thoughts on Jeanty and noted what they need to avoid doing to ensure his rushing struggles continue.
“He’s a violent runner,” Allen told the media on September 25. “He gets into the second and third level of the defense, seeking out contact. He runs extremely hard. I think he’s an outstanding player. He has
“He runs violent. You have to get a lot of hacks around the ball on him. You really don’t want him to have free access into the second or third level of your defense because if he gets there, you have to bring your hard hat—it’s going to be a collision.”
Opposing Defenses Are Taking Away the Raiders’ Run Game
While much attention is on the Raiders’ offensive line and Jeanty, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly points to the opposing defenses for shutting down their running game.
“I think it’s the defenses right now,” Kelly told reporters on September 25. “If you look at it statistically, Ashton Jeanty’s tied for 10th in the league for carries with two other guys.
“Everybody else—Saquon Barkley averages 3.3 yards per carry, Christian McCaffrey averages three yards per carry. So Ashton Jeanty’s right in the bunch with those guys. I think across the league through the first three games, defenses are ahead of offenses at a big rate… That’s just the league. Sometimes defenses are ahead, then offenses catch up, and it goes back and forth. That’s the nature of this game.”
Raiders Are Making Slow Progress
In the 41-24 defeat to the Commanders on September 21 at Northwest Stadium, the Raiders managed only 93 rushing yards, led by Jeanty’s 63. The 21-year-old carried the ball 17 times, averaging 3.7 yards per attempt.
While it marks a slight improvement, Las Vegas will need a significantly more productive running game to sustain success as the season unfolds. The key question remains whether Jeanty and the rushing attack can make a substantial leap forward, rather than just another incremental step. Still, if Jeanty has the breakout game that many want to see, all the concerns over the player will begin to fade.
