When your stars go down, it’s typically a group effort to replace them. The New Orleans Saints were missing Chris Olave and Michael Thomas, and Derek Carr surprisingly connected with 10 different receivers on Sunday. Alvin Kamara leading the team in receptions and yards was expected but the tight ends were more involved this week. All three tight ends caught at least two passes, and Juwan Johnson scored his first touchdown this season.
Thomas is on injured reserve and has missed the past four games, so his absence is feels less impactful. When you pair it with Olave’s absence, the hole feels deeper. Spreading the ball allowed them to dig out of the hole. One of the more surprising players who was a factor was Lynn Bowden Jr. He had a few plays designed specifically for him, which feels like something we haven’t seen much of this year.
Want an example of how well Carr spread the ball around? Rashid Shaheed returned from injury this week, and his contributions haven’t been mentioned in this article. It’s not an indictment of him, rather a testament of how well everyone else stepped up.
