That was hard to watch. The New Orleans Saints fell flat on their faces in Week 12’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and they might have bloodied their nose — some injuries at key positions have left them in rough shape after resting up over the bye week.
It wasn’t all bad in Atlanta, but the bright spots were few and far between. Who made a difference on Sunday afternoon — for good or bad? Who stood out for positive and negative reasons? Let’s break down this week’s Studs and Duds:
STUD | Tyrann Mathieu
Mathieu made two game-changing interceptions; his first takeaway ended an Atlanta drive that would have likely ended with a touchdown going into halftime, and his second pick essentially flipped the field to set the offense up at midfield. It’s just a shame they didn’t do anything with that opportunity.
DUD | Derek Carr
Carr is a liability, especially in the red zone. He’s losing the Saints games like this because of his poor execution in the most important moments — with the interception he threw to Falcons safety Jessie Bates III being returned 92 yards for a touchdown. He also fumbled and was fortunate to have it recovered by a teammate. Carr’s 304 passing yards are an improvement over what we’ve seen from him before, but he’s almost helpless in scoring position, making that high passing volume ring hollow.
STUD | Blake Grupe
Grupe was one of the few players pulling his weight for the Saints on Sunday, at least until the end, when he missed a 54-yard field goal that would have made a slight dent in Atlanta’s lead. Before that, Grupe was responsible for all 15 points that New Orleans scored, nailing field goals from distances of 25, 52, 41, 45, and 39 yards.
DUD | The Saints run defense
Single out whoever you want: Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Nathan Shepherd — the Saints were bullied at the line of scrimmage all afternoon. Atlanta averaged 5.6 yards per carry and converted a first down on 15 rushing plays, totaling 228 rushing yards. Three different Falcons running backs had 40-plus rushing yards: Bijan Robinson (91), Tyler Allgeier (64), and Cordarrelle Patterson (43).
STUD | Alvin Kamara
Kamara did everything he could to make an impact. He led the Saints with 69 rushing yards (on 15 carries) and finished third on the team with 50 receiving yards (on 4 catches). At times he was their only source of big gains on the ground or through the air. He’s a special talent, and it’s a shame that subpar play calling and quarterback play have slowed him down in the prime of his career.
DUD | The Saints pass rush
Dennis Allen’s defense embarrassed itself on Sunday. They couldn’t stop the run, and they couldn’t get after the quarterback, either; they barely put hands on Desmond Ridder all afternoon. Cameron Jordan is past his prime, and Carl Granderson can’t do it alone. Jason Pierre-Paul didn’t make much of an impact in the rotation rushing off the edge. The Saints need to reevaluate the qualities and athletic prototypes they look for at this position group.
