The New Orleans Saints took the Minnesota Vikings down to the wire in a game that looked lost early on, rallying in the second half off of some really strong performances. But we can’t overlook the negative plays and low moments that created the situation to begin with. To help illustrate this, let’s explore the Saints player grades from Pro Football Focus after Week 4’s loss, filtering out those who didn’t play at least 33% of snaps on offense or defense:
Top 5 offense (minimum 19 snaps)
- RB Latavius Murray: 82.7
- QB Andy Dalton: 79.8
- RT Ryan Ramczyk: 78.3
- TE Adam Trautman: 77.2
- WR Chris Olave: 76.8
What a day for Murray, who ran well with fresh legs and scored a touchdown carry in his first game back. He followed his blockers well and ran hard through contact, twice picking up gains of 10-plus yards. Neither Ramczyk and right guard Cesar Ruiz were the only starters along the offensive line to avoid yielding any pressures, and Ramczyk was the sole starting lineman to do that and escape the game penalty-free.
And this was a nice game for Trautman, who outsnapped Juwan Johnson for the first time this season (39 reps to 29), though Johnson still received more looks on passing downs (19 to 10). Still, both tight ends finished the game with 3 receptions, though Trautman gained 37 (twice converting a first down) and Johnson had 33. They’re a nice one-two punch, but it’s still good to see improvement from Trautman as a former draft pick.
Olave – what more can we say? All 4 of his receptions converted a first down or scored a touchdown. He came down with 2 of the 3 contested-catch passes thrown his way. He’s earning every bit of the Offensive Rookie of the Year speculation being written about him.
Top 5 defense (minimum 23 snaps)
- LB Demario Davis: 83.4
- S P.J. Williams: 80.4
- S Tyrann Mathieu: 80.4
- DE Marcus Davenport: 78.1
- DE Cameron Jordan: 75.5
Davis was in rare form against Minnesota, sacking Kirk Cousins on a perfectly-timed blitz and only yielding 3 yards after catch in coverage (and just 21 yards total, off of 2 receptions). He was making plays all over the field. So was Mathieu, who intercepted his first pass of the season and was credited with 5 tackles, though he did have a pair of missed efforts.
Let’s talk about the defensive ends. Davenport and Jordan were really impressive rushing off the edge, combining for 10 quarterback pressures and two sacks (PFF doesn’t count half-sacks, instead rounding up). We also saw them stand up in run defense – Jordan controlled his side of the line and was credited with 4 tackles, all counting as defensive stops. The Saints need more of these positive plays out of them.
Bottom 5 offense (minimum 19 snaps)
- LG Calvin Throckmorton: 35.6
- LT James Hurst: 48.9
- C Erik McCoy: 57.6
- SR Jarvis Landry: 58.4
- RB Mark ingram II: 65.6
As strong as the right side of the Saints offensive line was, the left really struggled. Some of that is on Throckmorton, who was flagged twice for false starts (after he drew four of those same penalties last season). Hurst also deserves criticism after being beaten badly for a sack. They should perform better against a weaker Seahawks defensive front, but it all starts up front, and they’ve got to do their jobs better.
You’d like to see the Saints giving Landry more looks. He’s still playing predominantly from the slot (he ran 20 of his 21 routes from that alignment) and he won his lone contested catch target, but neither of his receptions came close to converting a first down. The Saints have really backed off of the vertical-threat, big-play role Landry showcased back in Week 1.
Bottom 5 defense (minimum 23 snaps)
- CB Marshon Lattimore: 34.1
- DT David Onyemata: 46.2
- DT Shy Tuttle: 54.0
- LB Pete Werner: 56.9
- DT Kentavius Street: 58.8
This was the worst game Lattimore played in years, but Justin Jefferson tends to do that to his opponents. It was a competitive matchup (Lattimore had a pair of pass breakups) but Jefferson did log 7 receptions for 93 yards, converting 4 first downs. But the Saints coaching staff share some blame here in not recognizing that it wasn’t his day and adjusting coverage to account for it. Lattimore shouldn’t have been left on an island with Jefferson at critical moments late in the fourth quarter.
Werner’s grade isn’t as bad as it looks. The Vikings picked on him in coverage early in the game, getting Werner matched up with receivers like Jefferson and Adam Thielen, who quickly picked up 3 catches and 24 yards against him. New Orleans did a better job of getting Werner on running backs as the game continued, and he ended the day with the team’s best run defense grade (notching 5 stops on 8 tackles).
It’s also troubling to see all three of the defensive tackles on the 53-man roster grade out so poorly, though Tuttle did receive positive marks for his run defense reps and Street was highlighted as a pass rusher. Hopefully Malcolm Roach can return soon and produce some impactful snaps in the interior rotation.
Quarterback
- Andy Dalton: 79.8
Dalton was efficient, but he broke down into some really ugly situations. He committed as many turnover-worthy plays (2) as big-time throws (2), losing a fumble before halftime and nearly throwing an interception that should’ve been caught by the defender. The offense looked better in the second half and played with more rhythm, but we still saw the same first-half struggles that started to underline Jameis Winston’s issues. Maybe he looks better with Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara in the lineup, but right now it looks like the Saints just have two mediocre quarterbacks on their roster.
Special teams
Safety J.T. Gray had two tackles and an assist in the kicking game … Linebackers Kaden Elliss and Chase Hansen were also credited with special teams tackles … Safety Daniel Sorensen had the lone missed tackle in the game’s third phase … Wide receiver Deonte Harty didn’t make much headway returning either punts or kickoffs, and lost a fumble trying to make a play … Kicker Wil Lutz made both of his extra point attempts and set a new career-long 60-yard field goal, but saw a subsequent try from 61 yards hit the uprights and crossbar in a rare double-doink ricochet. He had the leg for it, but the placement was off by just a couple of inches.
