Well, the New Orleans Saints definitely needed hat one and while it did not come as easily as they would have liked, they found a way to win. Concerted efforts were clear when it came to getting playmakers involved, though there were still some curious decisions about when the team’s best personnel was taken off the field. Despite those continued concerns, though, New Orleans was aggressive in the passing game, showed some more diversity in their approach with running back Alvin Kamara and completely eliminated the Atlanta Falcons’ passing game from minutes 1 through 60.
Though the Saints surrendered 235 rushing yards, letting up over 200 for the third time this season and allowing their third individual rusher (rookie running back Tyler Allgeier) to cross the century mark, they did enough to win. They will not always be pretty, but the will not always be wins either. Taking the good with the bad, here are seven takeaways from Sunday’s win over, and sweep of, the Falcons:
1
Even a win doesn't feel as good as it should
While the Saints found a way to get a win against the Falcons on Sunday, it did not come with ease. It took a final offensive drive by New Orleans to put it away, which did not go as cleanly as they had hoped. A stop short on 3rd and 1 (which was never measured) followed by a botched snap exchange by Saints center Erik McCoy and Taysom Hill who was in at quarterback ended the drive prematurely. The Falcons were then left with 9 seconds left on the clock, but a long way to go to close their 3-point deficit.
Thankfully the Saints defense did not let up any big gains or splash plays. Eventually rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder would run out of bounds with no time left on the clock. It was a win, but not one without drama despite the blazing fast start in which the Saints scored on both opening possessions for the first time since Christmas Day of the 2020 season against the Minnesota Vikings.
2
Saints take positive step in steep playoff climb
As it stands, the Saints bolstered their playoff odds from .9% to 2% with Sunday’s win. That percentage will hold as long as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose or tie against the Cincinnati Bengals in the late games. It further moves the Saints up the board, but not by much in the NFC playoff race. With the Detroit Lions continuing their hot streak (winning 6 of their last 7 games) wildcard spots are near impossible to come by. The Saints will have to win the division if they want to see postseason play.
That sentiment is not one that has escaped New Orleans however. Linebacker Pete Werner declared the team would “go 4-0 from this point on” earlier in the week and quarterback Andy Dalton said in his postgame presser, “We got one win today and three left to go.” The Saints are not lacking for confidence as they close out the season, but it will take more consistent execution down the stretch to make the goals a reality.
3
Dennis Allen's fifth win this season marks career-high as a head coach
With two 4-12 finishes and an 0-4 start with the Oakland Raiders from 2012 – 2014, this victory seals Allen’s best record as a head coach regardless of how the rest of the year goes. At 5-9, the Saints could finish with as many as 8 wins this season, which would double Allen’s previous best as a head coach. But no sense in getting too far ahead of things. This is a positive moment for Allen, though it may not be celebrated widely as the record will be considered by most as well-short of what expectations were coming into the season.
4
The Saints young core continues to impress
Tight end Juwan Johnson headlines the day with 2 touchdown catches and 67 yards receiving. Rookie wide receiver Chris Olave was not far behind with 53 yards through the air, where he now needs just 197 more to tie Michael Thomas’ rookie receiving yards record. Breakout undrafted wideout Rashid Shaheed totaled another 95 yards receiving including a huge 67-yard touchdown catch.
The three plays have been remarkably consistent and impressive all season. Johnson sits among some of the NFL’s biggest names with his 7 touchdown catches on the season, Shaheed is a big play waiting to happen, and Olave is far and away the best rookie receiver in this year’s NFL draft class. As these young stars continue to develop, they will be a huge part of what is to come in the Saints’ future plans.
5
Alontae Taylor is playing at a high level despite rookie status
#Saints rookie Alontae Taylor is really good.
Per PFF, among CBs with 200+ coverage snaps:
– 63.8 passer rating when targeted (6th lowest)
– 49% completion percentage allowed (5th lowest)
– 246 receiving yards allowed (5th lowest)
– Longest reception allowed: 20 yards (T-lowest) pic.twitter.com/BiU6xS9cRP— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) December 17, 2022
Taylor has been playing extremely well since getting his first start against the Arizona Cardinals and future Hall of Fame wideout DeAndre Hopkins. While he has not yet secured his first career interception, not one that has stood at least, he has made some big plays in pass defense.
He finished Sunday’s matchup with the Falcons with three more passes defensed, which should contribute to his already-impressive 16% forced incompletion rate. Taylor has continuously risen to the occasion against quality competition all along the schedule this season. Veteran cornerback Bradley Roby spoke very highly of the young playmaker, making sure to mention that once Taylor starts coming down with the interceptions he has been increasingly close to getting, that they will keep coming.
With starting cornerback Marshon Lattimore missing his ninth game on Sunday, there’s an argument to be made that it may be best to shut him down for the season. Such a decision would lead to Taylor and running mate Paulson Adebo getting to close out the season. One could say that they have more than earned the opportunity anyway. But of course, if you can get one of your team’s best players back on the field it is hard to say no.
6
The Saints got a little better at using Alvin Kamara, but lots left to fix
The 23 touches for Kamara on Sunday were the most the Saints have provided since the 27 he saw against the Las Vegas Raiders. Unfortunately for Kamara, he did not end up with three touchdowns against the Falcons like he did in Week 8, but his 91 rushing yards were good for his third-highest total of the season.
Allen said in his postgame presser that there was indeed a concerted effort to get Kamara more involved. Not just in the run game, but getting the ball in his hands in a variety of different ways. On Sunday, the 2017 offensive rookie of the year took a couple of direct snaps and was targeted in the passing game a pair of times. Far from what you would like to see in the gameplan, but better and more diverse than recent showings.
7
Record improves against rookie QBs in first career start
The Saints are now 17-8-1 all-time against quarterbacks getting their first career starts. This might be surprising as opportunities against debuting signal callers have seen a downturn in key games since the Robert Griffin III debut years ago, followed up by the Jalen Hurts debacle against the Philadelphia Eagles more recently.. But all-in-all New Orleans has fared very well against rookie passers seeing their first action.
What’s more is that the Saints are now 4-0 against Falcons quarterbacks making their first career start. The Saints have now spoiled Pat Sullivan, Kurt Kittner, Matt Schaub and Desmond Ridder’s debuts against them. And the Falcons continue to see a lack of success in such games throughout their history as well:
#Falcons haven't had a qb make his first career start since Matt Ryan in 2008.
10 have had their 1st start on the road. Falcons lost all 10 games.
Overall, Falcons are 4-16 when a qb is making their 1st career start.
— Drew Porche (@TalentStats) December 9, 2022
