New Orleans saints var mere end almindeligt heldige, da de søndag aften slog Atlanta Falcons på udebane.
Saints var bagud med 16 point i fjerde kvarter, før Saints angreb endelige fandt rytmen. Ellers var det en kamp præget af dårligt spil på begge linjer og et Saints forsvar, som havde svært ved at stoppe Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota og running back Cordarrelle Patterson.
Saints scorede kampens første touchdown, da tight end Taysom Hill fandt endzonen på et 11-yard løb. Hill havde også på drivet leveret Saints længste løb på dagen, da han løb 57-yards.
Men efter Wil Lutz missede et 44-yard field goal forsøg slutningen af første kvarter, fik Saints svære og svære ved at holde deres egne angreb igang samt at stoppe Falcons. Saints havde store problemer med Falcons Patterson, som på dagen løb for 120 yards og et touchdown.
Saints Michael Thomas var en stor af Saints comeback i fjerde kvarter. Thomas greb begge touchdowns. Saints forsøgte sig med to 2-point conversions og Saints rookie Chris Olave greb det ene, mens Saints andet forsøg mislykkedes. Men Saints var stadig bagud med 24-26.
Winston og Saints satte endnu et godt drive sammen og gav Lutz mulighed for at bringe Saints foran. Lutz var sikker og bragte Saints foran med 27-26 på 51 yard field goal med 23 sekunder tilbage. Saints var dog igen ved at give Falcons kicker mulighed for at komme tilbage. Heldigvis for Saints kunne defensive end Payton Turner blokere et Falcons 63 yard field goal forsøg, mens tiden løb af klokken.
Saints vinder åbningskampen med 27-26 og har nu vundet alle kampe på udebane i Atlanta siden 2018.
Saints møder Tampa Bay Buccaneers på søndag kl. 19:00.
How did the Saints defend the slot without C.J. Gardner-Johnson?
By John Sigler, USA Today
There weren’t too many unknowns about the New Orleans Saints defense going into Week 1. We had a good idea of what the assignments would be for new safeties Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye, and many starters returned at other spots in the lineup. But the biggest change came in the slot, where New Orleans shipped out C.J. Gardner-Johnson two weeks before the season started. Gardner-Johnson had been a three-down defender for the Saints, so the trade left big shoes to fill. And a couple of Saints stepped up.
Pro Football Focus snap-by-snap charting found that Justin Evans got the lion’s share of snaps in the slot. The veteran safety signed with New Orleans after losing a year of his playing career with an injury, but his strong summer led to this well-earned opportunity. Evans led the team with 25 snaps in the slot, dropping back into pass coverage on 15 of those reps. The Falcons tried him four times but he only yielded one 5-yard reception which did not convert a first down. That’s a productive day in the office.
While Evans did see more slot snaps than anyone else, he was far from the only Saints defender to fill that role. Second-year linebacker Pete Werner moved to the slot 10 times, and that was the matchup Atlanta wanted to exploit — both of the targets sent his way were completed, gaining 31 yards. Fortunately Werner tackles well and prevented either play from converting a first down. You don’t want to see him covering the slot often (and Werner did drop back in coverage there only 5 times), but it can’t be helped when the offense dictates terms when facing man coverage. If Werner’s assignment is the Falcons running back and they motion from the backfield to the slot, he’s got to hang in there.
What about the other players who covered the slot in Week 1? Mathieu, Maye, and linebacker Demario Davis each stepped in for 8, 7, and 6 plays, respectively. They were targeted a combined 6 times, allowing 3 receptions for 11 receiving yards. Only one of those catches picked up a first down.
A handful of other Saints defenders also manned the slot at times, but defensive back P.J. Williams was the only one to cover it on a passing down (he did so twice, stopping Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts short of a first-down conversion on an 8-yard reception). The other players to line up there included linebacker Kaden Elliss (3 snaps), cornerback Bradley Roby (3), cornerback Marshon Lattimore (2), and defensive end Cameron Jordan (1). All of those were running downs, though.
So let’s tally it all together. The small platoon of Saints players covering the slot did so on a combined 37 snaps, drawing 13 targets. Of those passes 6 were completed for 55 yards, converting a single first down. That’s very encouraging.
There will be greater challenges ahead and better slot receivers than those the Falcons threw at them. But this was about as strong a start as you could hope for coming out of the gates. The Saints have said previously they’ll try different combinations each week to try and get the best matchups, so it’s a bit of a work-in-progress. If Sunday’s debut was any indication, they’ve got the right plan in mind.
Best and worst Saints PFF player grades from Week 1
By John Sigler, USA Today
Week 1 is in the books for the New Orleans Saints. They’ve defeated the Atlanta Falcons on the road in a massive fourth-quarter comeback, and everything is in order. The record books are set. The game tape is up for review. And the initial player grades have been filed at Pro Football Focus. Let’s see who PFF named the best and worst Saints players from this game:
Top 5 players on offense
WR Jarvis Landry: 84.7 QB Jameis Winston: 79.6 RT Ryan Ramczyk: 77.2 LT James Hurst: 75.7 WR Michael Thomas: 73.5
It’s no surprise to see Landry on top of the list, and it’s a credit to Winston’s ability to overcome adversity and bounce back from three really rough quarters and play well down the stretch. It is a little surprising to see Hurst up here given his struggles out on the edge. Falcons edge rusher Lorenzo Carter got the better of him early and often, and Atlanta also found success in sliding defensive tackle Grady Jarrett out wide against him. Thomas would have had a higher grade if he and Winston hadn’t looked so rusty early in the game, but we’ll take it.
Top 5 players on defense
FS Tyrann Mathieu: 79.2 LB Demario Davis: 71.4 DE Marcus Davenport: 65.9 CB Marshon Lattimore: 65.4 DE Cameron Jordan: 63.3
So this is interesting. Mathieu did so much to help the Saints pass defense confuse Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota by lining up all over the place, disguising their coverage assignments and clouding his vision. He also showed up big in tackling in the open field (one unfortunate hit from Cordarrelle Patterson notwithstanding). Davis was reliable as ever. It’s kind of confusing to see Davenport and Jordan grading so well. Neither of them made an impact as pass rushers, and Atlanta’s success running the football is largely due to the defensive line failing to plug holes up front.
Bottom 5 players on offense
TE Adam Trautman: 39.9 RG Cesar Ruiz: 46.3 RB Mark Ingram II: 49.9 LG Andrus Peat: 50.5 RB Alvin Kamara: 54.2
Yeah, not many surprises here. Trautman has been eclipsed by Juwan Johnson as the team’s top tight end (playing 45 snaps on offense against Trautman’s 25), which is wild. Ruiz was repeatedly beaten upfront and overmatched by Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. Ingram ran well but fumbled inside New Orleans territory at a really bad time, and it took a while for Kamara to get going. Atlanta defended him well.
Bottom 5 players on defense
DE Payton Turner: 29.7 DT Christian Ringo: 32.0 DT Shy Tuttle: 41.9 DE Carl Granderson: 45.5 DB P.J. Williams: 46.6
Turner’s biggest moment on defense was a neutral zone infraction penalty that got him pulled out of the game. He hasn’t carried over the momentum he built in training camp, which is really disappointing. Ringo was called up from the practice squad before this game to help reinforce the run defense but didn’t make a positive impact, which to be fair was the case for most of the defensive line. The Saints are much thinner up front than they’d maybe like to admit.
Jeg forstår ikke at Pete Werner ikke er blandt de bedst ratede på forsvaret? Og var Trautman overhovedet med 🙂 Juwan Johnson lignede Saints TE1.
Beviser blot at statistik ikke alt fremviser et sandt billede af kampen
Både Ryan og James Hurst havde problemer
Pete Werner var klart bedst LB og slog rekord med tacklinger