Who impressed in the New Orleans Saints’ preseason opener? Who fell short of expectations? The Saints came away with a dramatic win in their exhibition game with the Kansas City Chiefs, and these players were a big factor in sealing the win and making the matchup closer than it probably should have been. Let’s break down our Week 1 preseason Studs and Duds:
STUD | QB Derek Carr
Carr performed as-advertised against the Chiefs’ starters (minus standout defensive tackle Chris Jones, it should be noted), completing 6 of his 8 pass attempts for a smooth 70 yards. And he was effective in the red zone, which was reassuring given his poor performance in that phase in recent years with the Raiders. Carr had the freedom to read Kansas City’s defense and check out of a run play to a pass, though his throw was a little high for Michael Thomas.
He initially went back to Thomas on the next try, but the safety bit on it to bracket the receiver in double coverage — so Carr pivoted to the other side of the field and threw a dart to Keith Kirkwood for his first touchdown pass as the Saints’ starting quarterback. It was as encouraging a start for him as he and the team’s fans could hope for.
DUD | RB Kendre Miller
You don’t want to be too hard on Miller — he didn’t have anything to work with running behind an offensive line full of backups, and it isn’t his fault that he was injured in this game. But it was a disappointing return on all of the hype he built up this summer. He didn’t exactly back up all of his tall-talking about replacing Alvin Kamara with just 6 yards on 5 touches in his debut.
Hopefully he can heal up and show fans what he’s really capable of later in the preseason, but we’ll have to wait and see what the treatment plan is for his injured knee. Miller was an explosive runner in college and he does bring an element of breakaway speed in the open field that other running backs on the roster can’t boast. But he won’t get an opportunity to display it while sidelined with a sprained knee.
STUD | WR A.T. Perry
Perry entered the game with the second-string offense and was a go-to target for backup quarterback Jameis Winston; the rookie sixth-round pick led the team in receiving by catching all 6 of his targets for 70 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown grab. He converted a first down on half of his receptions. It’s early, but that’s likely enough to help him secure a roster spot behind Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and Rashid Shaheed. Teams rarely cut rookie draft picks, especially those who show out in preseason games.
We shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves here and suggest Perry is going to run ahead of veterans like Tre’Quan Smith in Week 1. Until he’s consistently delivering in practice and handling more physical assignments as a blocker, he’s going to be limited to a backup role behind Thomas much like Marquez Callaway was last season. But he’s well on his way to earning a bigger role in the offense and the confidence his quarterbacks have in him already is telling.
DUD | The offensive line backups
It was tough sledding for the big guys up front after the starters were pulled from the game. Jameis Winston was sacked three times — sure, he may have held onto the ball too long at times, but they should be able to buy him time too — and Alvin Kamara’s fellow running backs averaged half as many yards per carry as he did. Kamara picked up 4.7 yards per rush with the first-string offensive line and Jamaal Williams had 3.1 YPC, but neither Ellis Merriweather (2.7) nor Kendre Miller (1.3) had anything to work with.
And that’s not even getting into the botched snap on a two-point conversion try in the game’s final minutes, with backup center Max Garcia mishearing the call from Jake Haener amid the crowd noise. That’s not the sort of thing that’ll happen (or at least be acceptable) with Erik McCoy snapping the ball, but it’s a worrisome illustration of the state of the line depth. The Saints need to keep drafting and developing linemen while praying their starters stay healthy.
STUDS | Linebackers Nephi Sewell, Ryan Connelly
Each of these guys distinguished themselves on both defense and special teams; Sewell started in relief of Demario Davis at middle linebacker on the first-string defense, and Connelly played a lot of snaps in each phase, leading the team with 5 combined tackles (3 solo) plus a pass breakup. The Saints badly need someone to emerge behind Davis and Pete Werner and each of these backups are off to a hot start in preseason.
Let’s see if it continues as more players enter the fray, like Jaylon Smith. The 2019 Pro Bowler has been tabbed to back up Davis but Sewell has a good shot at remaining ahead of him on the depth chart if he can continue to play well when his number is called. The Saints usually keep six or seven linebackers and the position group is wide open right now. Don’t sleep on D’Marco Jackson either.
DUDS | Both punters
Both Blake Gillikin and Lou Hedley had some struggles. Gillikin shanked a punt from the New Orleans 23-yard line that fell out of bounds at midfield, and Kansas City took advantage of the strong starting field position to score a touchdown four plays later. To his credit, Gillikin placed each of his following punts inside the Chiefs’ 20-yard line, though a combination of returns and self-inflicted penalties helped Kansas City.
What about Hedley? Just one of his four punts fell inside the Chiefs’ red zone, but they resulted in a fair catch, a return for no gain, a roll out of bounds, and one return for just 7 yards (stopped at the Kansas City 35-yard line). The distance wasn’t quite there for him but he did give his teammates a better chance to run downfield and prevent a big return. Both punters have work to do over the next two weeks.
STUDS | DE Kyle Phillips, RB Ellis Merriweather, K Blake Grupe
Let’s hear it for the heroes of the final minute. Ellis Merriweather stepped up when the Saints were shorthanded at running back, making a couple of nice plays as a receiver to help cut into the scoring deficit and running out the clock while protecting the football. Kyle Phillips kickstarted the comeback with the most clutch interception Saints fans have seen in years, taking full advantage of a poor Chiefs game-management decision. And the rookie kicker Blake Grupe sealed the win with a 31-yard field goal in a big spot. All three players are new to the team, and they deserve game balls for their critical roles in such a high-leverage situation.
