Week 14 Saints Snap Counts and Observations

As we move on from the Saints win over the Jets, we take a closer look at the snap counts from Sunday's game.

Author:
John Hendrix
Publish date:
Dec 15, 2021 2:09 PM EST

The Saints got the Jets at the right time of the season, which resulted in them snapping their five-game skid. At 6-7, New Orleans is desperately trying to keep their postseason hopes alive, so the win was shortly savored. Here's a look at the team's snap counts, with some observations from the 30-9 Week 14 win.

Offense

Calvin Throckmorton, Cesar Ruiz, Erik McCoy, James Hurst, Taysom Hill, Terron Armstead - 70 (100%)
The Saints offense had their best outing in quite a while, as they totaled 344 yards (203 rushing, 141 passing). They went 6-of-15 on 3rd Down, while Hill was sacked three times. Hill finished 15-of-21 for 175 yards, adding 11 carries for 73 yards and 2 touchdowns. One of those was at runs was at the end of the game, a 44-yard score that he should have slid on, but fans won't be too upset with a 30-point outing. New Orleans will have to be much better against Tampa, as some of those miscues like the sacks and bad down and distance situations hurt their drives.
Alvin Kamara - 52 (74%)
New Orleans missed AK41, and he had himself another great game at MetLife. He finished with 27 carries for 120 yards and a score, adding 4 catches for 25 yards on 5 targets. It wasn't the knee issue that kept him out last week, but rather a hamstring. He said after the game that the workload will bother him. If the Saints are going to make a run, it's going to depend heavily on Kamara.
Nick Vannett - 51 (73%)
Vannett is really emerging as a nice weapon for the Saints. He caught 3 balls for 44 yards on 6 targets, which included two big gains at times the offense needed it. Perhaps his usage will increase, as the offense needs answers from wherever they can get them.
Marquez Callaway - 50 (71%)
Callaway only had 2 catches for 34 yards on 4 targets, but one of them was a great design and ended up setting up the Saints in a goal-to-go situation. Just getting him the ball and allowing him to make a play in which he was able to shed several defenders was good execution, and we'd like to see more of that.
Tre'Quan Smith - 49 (70%)
Smith caught all 3 of his targets for 33 yards, and has once again proved to be a quietly consistent option at receiver.
Kenny Stills - 27 (39%)
It appeared that the Stills era came to an end after being waived last week, but that wasn't the case. He was a non-factor on the scoresheet.
Juwan Johnson - 23 (33%)
Johnson caught his lone target of the day for 15 yards. One of the things Sean Payton was asked after the game was in regards to his play sheet not being as extensive in some games. He made it a point to bring up Johnson, saying, "You don't always know if Juwan's always going to be treated like a tight end or a receiver." That could be a lot of why Johnson isn't seeing as much.
Adam Prentice, Tony Jones Jr. - 20 (29%)
Garrett Griffin - 18 (26%)
James Carpenter - 13 (19%)
Carpenter was the jumbo guy on the day, and he made a pretty large impact. He could get some more looks against a heavy front the Bucs have. However, we'll have to see what happens there, as he's reverted to the practice squad.
Kevin White - 12 (17%)
Ethan Wolf - 8 (11%)
Easop Winston Jr. - 7 (10%)
Winston did a nice job handling return duties with Harris being out. He also caught his lone target for 5 yards, getting the first reception of his NFL career. Look for him to be back in the lineup against the Bucs on Sunday.

Defense

Malcolm Jenkins, Marshon Lattimore, Demario Davis, Marcus Williams - 66 (100%)
The Saints defense allowed 256 yards on the day, with a lot of them coming in garbage time. The Jets went 3-of-14 on 3rd Down, holding the ball for just 21:08. Of course, the defense was helped some early by drops, but were still able to get off the field on a lot of their drives. Davis led the way with 8 total tackles (6 solo, 2 assisted), with one of them being a tackle for loss. He also had a pass defense. It was fitting to see him lead the team onto the field, as he was drafted by the Jets and played for them for five seasons. Lattimore was tied for second on the team with 5 solo tackles, also having 2 pass breakups. One of the plays he got beat on late easily could have been called for offensive pass interference, but it was a better game from him.
Kwon Alexander - 61 (92%)
Alexander picked up 2 sacks on the day, adding 4 solo tackles in the process.
Carl Granderson - 52 (79%)
Granderson got the bulk of the work with Cam Jordan being out, and he added another sack for the season with 2 solo tackles. His sack on Wilson resulted in a 16-yard loss.
Paulson Adebo - 48 (73%)
Adebo also had 5 total tackles, picking up a pass defense and special teams tackle on the day.
Jalyn Holmes - 43 (65%)
C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Marcus Davenport, P.J. Williams - 36 (55%)
Two of the best boosts for the Saints came in the way of Gardner-Johnson and Davenport. Gardner-Johnson only had an assisted tackle, and almost had an interception that the sideline definitely wanted him to have. His energy helped and was missed over the time he was out. As for Davenport, he was in the same boat with just an assisted tackle, but his presence was more than notable. He was pushing around a lot of people, and was simply a dominate force. New Orleans has had major hits to their pass rush, and when he's in the lineup, it makes a huge difference.
David Onyemata, Bradley Roby - 33 (50%)
Shy Tuttle - 20 (30%)
Christian Ringo - 19 (29%)
Josiah Bronson - 18 (27%)
Albert Huggins - 16 (24%)
Zack Baun - 6 (9%)
J.T. Gray - 5 (8%)

Special Teams (Top Reps)

Playing complimentary football is something you want to see each week, and the coverage, punting, and kicking all were on point for the special teams.