Who stood out this week — for good or bad? We’re breaking down our Studs and Duds from the New Orleans Saints’ disappointing Week 6 loss to the Houston Texans:
STUD | DE Carl Granderson
Grandreson was a consistent bright spot on the afternoon, ending the day tied for the second-most tackles (6) with a sack, a quarterback hit, and a couple of tackles for loss.
DUD | The offensive line
It was a really rough afternoon for the blockers up front. They were penalized four times as a group for everything from false starts to tripping and holding. And we’ve got to acknowledge the injuries. Andrus Peat wasn’t able to start at left guard as planned after straining a groin muscle late last week. James Hurst (ankle) and Ryan Ramczyk (concussion) were both pulled out of the game early on. Trevor Penning was overmatched by Will Anderson Jr. and has not developed as planned, to a point where the Saints would bench him if they could.
STUD | WR Rashid Shaheed
Shaheed was all over the field: gaining 18 yards as a runner and 85 as a receiver, including his 34-yard touchdown grab. But his best moment may have been his 51-yard gain on a play where he wrestled the ball out of the defensive back’s grasp to not just prevent an interception but pick up a huge chunk of yardage. With that said, Shaheed left some yards on the field on special teams (by choosing to signal a fair catch when he had an opportunity for a return) and in the passing game, where he had several miscommunications with Derek Carr. He caught just two of his six targets.
DUD | CB Marshon Lattimore
Lattimore did not meet his usual standards in this game. He was beaten early on by Texans receiver Noah Brown (his old college teammate, by the way) for a 34-yard pickup; Brown slipped through Lattimore’s press coverage with a bit of a push off to create separation and the cornerback didn’t make up lost ground as quickly as we’re accustomed to seeing. Later, Lattimore was fouled for pass interference on a play that moved the Texans offense all the way up to the New Orleans 1-yard line. He’s had issues throughout his career in overlooking receivers who don’t get top-billing.
STUD | LB Demario Davis
Davis was all over the field in this one. He led the team with 7 tackles (4 solo) while impacting the running game with a pair of tackles for loss and making his presence felt on passing downs with a pass deflection, a sack, and two quarterback hits. It’s a shame the Saints wasted a great game from the 34-year-old pro.
DUD | K Blake Grupe
What a step back for the rookie after a strong start to his career — including recognition as Special Teams Player of the Week last week. Grupe missed two of his field goal tries from distances of 52 and 29 yards in high-leverage situations; they would have given the Saints the lead and made it a four-point game, respectively. He needs to rebound from this on Thursday night.
