The New Orleans Saints didn’t lack for standouts on Sunday. Players like Kentavius Street, Rashid Shaheed, and Justin Evans rose to the occasion in their Week 15 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Let’s highlight the peak performers and underwhelming outings in this week’s studs and duds:
STUD | DT Kentavius Street
Street has been a nice pickup for the Saints out of free agency, and he’s doing well to help his case as someone whose contract expires after this season. He was credited with a sack and a half, several other quarterback pressures, plus two tackles for loss in the win and consistently disrupted the Atlanta offensive line. He’s a good player in the rotation.
DUD | RB David Johnson
Johnson’s afternoon was rough. He only saw 4 carries to gain 12 yards, with his longest run picking up 5 yards, also fumbling in a critical short-yardage situation. He just hasn’t shown the same burst that defined his style of play early in his career. The Saints didn’t activate Eno Benjamin this week after claiming him off of waivers a few days ago, but he should supplant Johnson soon after picking up the offense.
STUD | S Justin Evans
Saints defense forces a big turnover!
📺: #ATLvsNO on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/cZaM7QiT4S pic.twitter.com/pg2T7Rzwyk— NFL (@NFL) December 18, 2022
Evans didn’t see many snaps in this one with the secondary nearly at full strength, but he made the play of the day late in regulation. He got on the field for a Falcons fourth down attempt at midfield, near the two-minute warning, which rookie receiver Drake London seemed to convert — only for Evans to crash down on him and punch out the football for a fumble, which was recovered by his teammate Bradley Roby. It was a heady play from Evans and exactly what we expected out of him back in preseason. Good on him for making the most of that opportunity.
STUD | WR Rashid Shaheed
Shaheed had the best play on offense this week with his 68-yard touchdown reception to extend New Orleans’ lead, but we shouldn’t overlook how reliable he’s become. He converted a first down on two of his three receptions, too, and he’s starting to pick up some more momentum after earning his spot in the receiving corps. Good things happen when the Saints send the ball his way.
DUD | LB Demario Davis
It was a rare game of rough moments for Davis, who at times looked a step too slow against the Falcons rushing attack. Davis was at fault for two missed tackles on an Atlanta scoring drive and too often looked to be out of position on some big plays on the ground. The Falcons ran for 213 yards as a team, their third-best total of the year. He’s still a force when blitzing, but Davis is starting to look his age in some phases of the game.
STUD | TE Juwan Johnson
Johnson roared back after missing a game with an injury, scoring two touchdown receptions and converting a first down on each of his catches. He’s become a major part of the Saints passing game and is clearly their best option at tight end. He ranks among the league leaders in touchdown receptions (7) up to this point in the season.
