Despite the fact that they only have a 5-4 record, the New Orleans Saints are currently in first place in the NFC South heading into their Week 10 matchup on the road against the Minnesota Vikings.
If the Saints are going to maintain their lead in the division, they’ll have to prevent Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs from hurting them with his impressive rushing skills.
New Orleans head coach Dennis Allen knows stopping Dobbs will be easier said than done, though, as he recently shared with ESPN’s Ed Werder that containing running quarterbacks has been the “Achilles heel” of the Saints’ defense this season.
#Saints HC Dennis Allen has emphasized the importance of containing Josh Dobbs to the pocket. They have made players aware of likely escape lanes. While Saints lead NFL in INT, their weakness has been defending running quarterbacks. Allen called it their “Achilles Heel.” pic.twitter.com/tJeOl50pmc
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) November 12, 2023
New Orleans hasn’t faced any of the top running quarterbacks in the NFL this year, like Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens or Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, but they’ve still given up a significant amount of rushing yards to opposing signal-callers this season.
In their nine games this year, the Saints allowed quarterbacks Tyson Bagent of the Chicago Bears, Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers, and Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers to all rush for at least 30 yards against them.
If someone like Mayfield was able to make an impact with his legs against New Orleans, one can only imagine how much success Dobbs could have against them on Sunday.
In a win over the Atlanta Falcons last week, Dobbs rushed for 66 yards and one touchdown on seven carries.
On the ground this season, the Minnesota quarterback has averaged six yards per rushing attempt, so the Saints will certainly have their work cut out for them on Sunday.
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