Moore’s Offense Stalls, Critics Pounce After Disappointing Debut
The New Orleans Saints lost a disappointing game to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, but as funny as it may sound, the loss was encouraging in some aspects.
The Saints and quarterback Spencer Rattler flashed a lot of potential. They kept it within a touchdown and had a chance to tie the game with no time left. But they were simply outcoached.
Mike Jones of The Athletic recently suggested head coach Kellen Moore was disappointing in his debut with the Saints and indicated Coach Moore was under a lot of pressure to produce in Week 2.
Kellen Moore under pressure to produce more in Week 2
"His New Orleans Saints’ debut wasn’t completely awful. Moore’s players displayed some fight. Quarterback Spencer Rattler had some bright spots and kept slinging despite some tough situations. But poor clock management, a few questionable decisions and sloppy play ultimately overshadowed Moore’s head coaching debut," Jones wrote. "Moore, a sharp offensive mind as a coordinator, showed his inexperience at times. He went in at halftime with all three timeouts in his back pocket and later explained he was trying his best to save his timeouts. Saving them for what, though?
"Moore also didn’t use Alvin Kamara or Rashid Shaheed nearly enough, even though both could have made life easier for Rattler. Moore’s team hurt itself with 13 penalties. The Saints didn’t implode. But a second-half stretch of possessions (punt, missed field goal, punt, punt, field goal, turnover on downs) left a lot to be desired. Up next, a date with the San Francisco 49ers, whose defense — along with the sharp minds of head coach Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh — will no doubt test Moore’s offense and his game management skills."
Moore didn't show much of his genius offensive mind in Week 1. In fact, it seemed a bit overwhelming at times for the first-year head coach, which isn't a surprising thing.
Moore didn't manage his players, his timeouts, or the game very well. There were a lot of things for him to learn from, which will be huge heading into Week 2.
Even with all the disappointing aspects of the game, the Saints were a Juwan Johnson dropped touchdown away from heading to overtime.
Browns’ Quinshon Judkins Gets Bad News Ahead of Week 2
Quinshon Judkins signed his rookie contract with the Cleveland Browns, but it doesn’t seem likely he will be in the lineup this week.
Judkins missed all of training camp and the preseason as he was holding out for his contract. As well as his legal issues were being resolved. As Judkins is practicing ahead of Week 2, his status is uncertain. But the Browns listed him as the fourth-string running back on the unofficial depth chart.
Judkins is behind Jerome Ford, Dylan Sampson, and Raheim Sanders, so at this rate, it does seem likely he won’t be in the lineup for Week 2 when the Browns are on the road to play the Baltimore Ravens.
Judkins will need time to get ramped up and up to game speed before he gets into game action. Meanwhile, Cleveland got a temporary roster exemption for Judkins, meaning he can practice and doesn’t count on the 53-man roster for the time being.
“The #Browns are expected to get a temporary roster exemption for RB Quinshon Judkins, who is signing his fully guaranteed rookie contract today,” Pelissero wrote on X. “That’s unrelated to the league’s ongoing disciplinary process; it’s standard for players who missed camp and can last up to two games.”
Although Judkins isn’t technically on the 53-man roster yet, the hope was that he would play in Week 2.
Browns Coach Isn’t Sure When Judkins Will Play
After Cleveland’s Week 1 loss, the attention turned to Judkins and when he will be in the lineup.
However, after the loss, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski wasn’t thinking about Judkins or his return to the field.
“We’ll see,” Stefanski said on Sept. 8. “Got to get through this week of practice, but don’t know.”
If Judkins does get up to speed, he could be in the lineup in Week 2. But, that would mean Cleveland would have to make another roster move as he technically isn’t on the 53-man roster yet.
But, for now, Judkins will practice all week, but all signs point to him likely taking another week to get ready before making his debut in Week 3.
The Browns are a massive 11.5-point underdogs against the Ravens in Week 2 on the road.
Cleveland Had High Expectations for Judkins
After the Browns selected Judkins in the second round, he was expected to be the team’s starting running back.
Following the draft, Cleveland’s general manager, Andrew Berry, said he expected Judkins to be a bell-cow-like running back for the team.
“We feel like he’s just a very well-rounded back,” Berry said. “We’ve obviously been spoiled over the past couple of years, particularly with Nick and Kareem (Hunt). And we feel like he is very much in that mold in terms of skill set. Not necessarily saying that he’s going to, with certainty, develop into one of those players. We certainly hope that’s the case. But we think that he can be a bell cow runner that can really carry the load for us.”
Judkins was selected 36th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft after helping the Ohio State Buckeyes win the national championship.
