The Week 12 player grades from Pro Football Focus are in, giving us a good opportunity at looking back at the New Orleans Saints’ standout performers against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday — for both good and bad. Let’s see who graded highly and, well, who didn’t quite meet expectations:
Top 5 players on offense (minimum 19 snaps)
- 77.4 – RT Ryan Ramczyk (57 snaps)
- 76.3 – WR Rashid Shaheed (30 snaps)
- 72.3 – WR Chris Olave (38 snaps)
- 70.8 – QB Andy Dalton (49 snaps)
- 65.3 – RG Cesar Ruiz (57 snaps)
Ramczyk wasn’t dinged for allowing any pressures in this game, but it still feels odd to see him on top of the list. He was fouled twice (once for holding, another time for a false start) and the Saints struggled to run while averaging just 2 yards per carry behind the right tackle. Maybe PFF’s charters saw some things we didn’t. It’s good to see Shaheed continuing to make this rapid improvement, but the Saints need to get him more touches. It’s also odd to see Dalton so highly regarded when just 8 of his 29 pass attempts converted a first down.
Top 5 players on defense (minimum 23 snaps)
- 75.5 – CB Paulson Adebo (70 snaps)
- 74.4 – LB Kaden Elliss (70 snaps)
- 71.4 – FS Marcus Maye (70 snaps)
- 68.6 – DT Kentavius Street (35 snaps)
- 68.5 – FS Tyrann Mathieu (69 snaps)
Honorable mentions: CB Alontae Taylor (68.3 grade on 45 snaps), LB Demario Davis (64.9 grade on 70 snaps)
Adebo had a great game, breaking up two passes and registering a defensive stop while yielding just 3 receptions for 36 receiving yards against his coverage — off of 7 targets. Street also enjoyed a nice revenge game against his old team, racking up 5 pressures (2 hits and 3 hurries) plus a defensive stop and 2 tackles (both solo). PFF credited Elliss with 13 tackles (12 solo), a career-high, with an impressive 7 defensive stops. While Elliss did allow all 6 targets thrown against him to be completed for 45 yards, just 2 of them converted a f
Bottom 5 players on offense (minimum 18 snaps)
- 41.5 – DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (26 snaps)
- 47.0 – CB Chris Harris Jr. (33 snaps)
- 47.1 – LB Zack Baun (32 snaps)
- 48.2 – DE Cameron Jordan (48 snaps)
- 53.8 – DE Carl Granderson (32 snaps)
It isn’t good to see so many defensive ends grading out so poorly, but that’s where we are. The Saints didn’t get great production out of a unit that’s seen heavy investments between contract extensions and draft picks. Granderson was the only player in this trio to log any quarterback pressures (3 hurries), though we’ll give Jordan a mulligan in his first game back from an orbital bone fracture. Baun’s poor grade is suspect; PFF credited him with 4 tackles, 3 of them defensive stops, and a single reception allowed for 9 yards. That doesn’t match the grade they handed out to him.
Bottom 5 players on defense (minimum 23 snaps)
- 41.2 – TE Juwan Johnson (27 snaps)
- 44.9 – LT James Hurst (57 snaps)
- 45.5 – RB Alvin Kamara (38 snaps)
- 48.8 – LG Andrus Peat (57 snaps)
- 50.2 – TE Taysom Hill (28 snaps)
Johnson didn’t catch either of the passes thrown his way, which was disappointing to see after he’d made some real progress over the last month. Hurst was abused by Nick Bosa and the 49ers defensive line, allowing 6 pressures and a sack. And don’t look for him to be supplanted by Trevor Penning. The rookie only played six snaps but drew a face mask penalty in his first game back from injury. He isn’t ready. This also felt like the worst game Kamara has played in quite some time. He wasn’t able to make much happen after the catch and faced tough sledding on the ground, but his two fumbles in big moments stand out in a bad way.
