April Visuals / Shutterstock.com

Remember when the New Orleans Saints were doing so well at the start of the season? They won their first two games and scored a lot of points, making everyone think they might go far in the playoffs. But things changed quickly.

Now, they’ve lost three games in a row, including a tough 26-13 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs. It wasn’t a pretty game for them.

Even though Derek Carr threw a nice touchdown pass and Khalen Saunders had an exciting interception, not much else went right for the Saints. It seems like there’s plenty of blame to go around after such a loss, and we’ve identified some key players who need to step up.

First up is the Saints’ defense. It’s hard to point fingers at just one player because the whole unit struggled against Kansas City. The Chiefs scored on six out of ten drives, which could’ve been even more if not for some mistakes on their part.

The Saints did manage one good defensive stop early in the game but allowed Patrick Mahomes to throw for over 300 yards, something he hadn’t done yet this season. Travis Kelce had an easy time finding open spaces, and JuJu Smith-Schuster caught seven passes for 130 yards.

On top of that, New Orleans let Kansas City rush for 139 yards, marking their second-highest total this year. Kareem Hunt was especially hard to stop with his 102-yard performance.

All told, the Saints gave up 460 yards—tying what they allowed against the Philadelphia Eagles recently—which isn’t likely to win many games.

Derek Carr also had a rough night. He threw an early interception that set up Kansas City’s scoring drive and left the game with an injury. His decisions weren’t great, although some blame falls on the offensive line and play-calling.

Carr admitted his mistake after the game, acknowledging how it cost them dearly as Kansas City capitalized with a touchdown shortly after. His injury status remains uncertain as he awaits further tests.

Alvin Kamara’s performance has dipped since his standout game against Dallas earlier this season. On Monday night, he managed only 26 rushing yards—the lowest all year—and didn’t reach 100 total yards for the first time this season.

While injuries along New Orleans’ offensive line played a part in Kamara’s struggles—and credit goes to Kansas City’s defense too—his lack of production contributed significantly to their loss.

Ultimately, if Carr can’t play due to injury or if Kamara doesn’t regain form soon enough—especially given upcoming divisional matchups—the Saints may find themselves falling behind in NFC South standings quickly.