The main reason the Saints lost to Seattle so badly is the same as the reason the Saints beat the Panthers so badly: Magic primetime home field juju or whatever.

But the reason the Saints offense struggled against Seattle, specifically, when ignoring the magic home field juju, was the matchup between the Seahawks’ secondary and the Saints’ receivers. Mostly, it’s as simple as the fact the Saints kept losing individual battles on the perimeter of the field.

Here’s a quick example:

First problem: Marques Colston was unable to get cleanly off the line. His movements were dictated by the physical presence of Richard Sherman, who is just about as big and strong as Colston. Because Sherman is so quick, too, Colston never really gains any separation. And whatever separation he’s able to get by sliding inside is negated by Seattle defensive lineman Chris Clemons, who drops into coverage.

At the same time, on the opposite side of the formation, the Seahawks somehow cover both Jimmy Graham and Robert Meachem with two defenders in positions to attack either of them if the ball goes their way, while still sending five pass rushers after Drew Brees.

It’s one of those plays where the defense seems to have 15 players on the field. It happens against teams like Seattle, like San Francisco, like the Jets or, when Aqib Talib is involved, like the Patriots.

A great defensive line used to be enough to bog the Saints offense down. It doesn’t seem to be the real kryptonite anymore. Carolina has arguably a better defensive front than Seattle or San Francisco, but they don’t have either teams’s secondary.

Here’s what happened to Carolina:

The moment Colston caught this pass, the rout was on. The game was no longer competitive.

It doesn’t take a sharp eye for football tactics to see how differently this play looks from the outset. The only time a Panthers defensive back gets close, Colston separates easily.

Underneath that coverage, Darren Sproles is open too, and might have challenged for a first down with some nimble running after the catch, had the pass gone his way.

Up top, Jimmy Graham easily beats contact at the line of scrimmage, barely slowing down: he’s open enough for a Brees pass too.

Sure, the pass protection was solid, but not perfect; another instant or two without an open receiver and it probably would have gotten to Brees and ended the series. That’s the sort of thing that happened against Seattle: Receivers just never came open.

This is a clear matchup issue, and there’s both good and bad news. The good news is few teams have the personnel to beat the Saints’ weapons this way. The bad news is the team best equipped to do it is Seattle.

It’s a mistake, though, for us to assume the Saints just can’t win such matchups. Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles in particular can beat guys one on one. It might take creative scheming to put the players into the right spots, but that’s where Sean Payton, offensive genius, becomes important.

Basically, you can soundly beat the Saints offense.

But don’t assume you can do it twice.