Well you certainly wish the wins would come easier, but such is life. The New Orleans Saints get a must needed win and sweep their bitter divisional rival the Atlanta Falcons along the way. But even with the positive steps forward, there were some concerning trends that prevailed. Penalties, (though the officiating was more than questionable) coaching decisions and some play calling still raised eyebrows at moments.
So while the result was a win, the Saints still have some important elements to figure out in the closing weeks of the season. Here is how we graded their performance in a much-needed victory over the Falcons:
Offense: C
Save a red-hot start for the Saints offense, things faulted down the stretch. Unable to put the game away despite one yard being the difference is likely the most glaring, but there were other issues as well. Thankfully the fast start went a long way to pad the difference.
Running back Alvin Kamara saw the most touches he has had since the Week 8 shutout of the Las Vegas Raiders, tight end Juwan Johnson reeled in a pair of touchdown catches and undrafted free agent rookie receiver Rashid Shaheed again blew the top off of the defense for a 68-yard touchdown reception. Those were undeniable highlights of the day along with some interesting usage and breakaway moments for Taysom Hill.
But choosing veteran running back David Johnson over Kamara and Hill on a short yardage call immediately bit the Saints in the behind as he lost a fumble. Along with more predictable playcalling on 2nd and 10 downs and the absences of star players in big moments. Things took a right-enough step which led to the win, but there are still some concerning trends to patch up.
Defense: B
Yes, the Saints defense let up 235 rushing yards on the day. A total that would be completely unacceptable in previous years. But if the Falcons really believed they were going to be able to effectively close the gap late without a passing game, they were sorely mistaken. Rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder was sacked four times and hit on a handful of other plays, causing him to look noticeably uncomfortable in the pocket.
That led to the Saints passing defense letting up only 89 net passing yards. The least they have allowed to any opponent all season. That is a stellar performance considering that Atlanta did not shy away from the passing game whatsoever with Ridder at the helm. The third-round rookie attempted 26 passes while Saints quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Taysom Hill attempted just 21 combined.
Special Teams: C
The Saints sure did enjoy having specialist JT Gray back this week. He made a great stop on an Atlanta punt return and downed another punt inside the Falcons’ 5-yard line. Unfortunately though the return game did not get going very much at all and punter Blake Gillikin shanked one from his own endzone. A lack of consistency should not go without being mentioned, but there is something to keep an eye on moving forward.
Along with Gray, the Saints spent the offseason looking at who would be the gunner on the opposite side in punt coverage. Taylor was firmly in the mix coming in as a rookie corner, but the Saints may have found one of the best they have had in recent years with a signing no one is talking about. Veteran cornerback Isaac Yiadom has looked great in the role. Would not be surprised to see New Orleans hold on to him this offseason.
Coaching: B
Several runs on 2nd and 10 downs, curious absences of Kamara and Hill on short-distance downs, forcing Hill under center for only the second time all season on a pivotal 4th and 1 are all things we must consider when discussing coaching. 235 rushing yards surrendered is not so great either. But a more diverse set of Kamara usage including wildcat snaps, a pair of passing targets and some nice moments in space, dialing up big plays for wideouts Shaheed and Chirs Olave along with tight end Johnson are worth crediting.
It is a tough splitting of hairs in this one due to lack of execution down the way and questionable officiating leading to some costly penalty calls, but there was improvement in the coaching and play calling on Sunday and those improvements led to a win. Head coach Dennis Allen acknowledged that there was a concerted effort to get Kamara more involved and to do so in more ways, but that they still have a ways to go in that. So hopefully this week ends up being the launching point for something the team has been working to solve all season.
