Week 15 Saints Snap Counts and Observations

The Saints became one of three teams to shut out Tom Brady, and their defense helped keep the team's postseason hopes alive.

Author:
John Hendrix
Publish date:
Dec 20, 2021 3:40 PM EST

The 2021 season that is the New Orleans Saints has been a rollercoaster, and last night was further proof of it. No one, and absolutely no one would have predicted that the Saints would shut out the defending Super Bowl Champs at their own stadium, but they did. The Saints just needed field goals to beat the Buccaneers, earning a 9-0 shutout and improving to 7-7 on the year to help keep their postseason hopes alive in a big way.

We take a further look at the team's snap counts, and give some observations from the game.

Offense

Calvin Throckmorton, Cesar Ruiz, Erik McCoy, James Hurst, Jordan Mills, Taysom Hill - 61 (100%)
Overall, the Saints put up 212 total yards of offense (61 rushing, 151 passing), going 3-of-16 on 3rd Down. Taysom Hill didn't have to be the hero on the night, and he was held in check for the most part. Hill finished 13-of-27 for 154 yards passing, while adding 33 yards rushing on 11 carries. He was sacked twice on the night for small losses.
Marquez Callaway - 52 (85%)
Callaway had his best game with the Saints, finishing with 6 catches for 112 yards on 9 targets. He had a very active first half, and was relatively quiet in the second half while the offense struggled to move the ball. However, Hill hooked up with him some and was able to help get the team in field goal range.
Tre'Quan Smith - 40 (66%)
Smith secured 2 of his 3 targets on the evening for 17 yards. He lost his helmet a couple times, and fumbled the ball forward on his first catch. He had been a pretty consistent presence prior to this game.
Alvin Kamara - 37 (61%)
Kamara was held in check for the most part, getting 18 yards on 11 carries and having 2 catches for 13 yards on 6 targets. Tampa knew he was going to be a huge focal point, and they have always done a good job against him.
Nick Vannett, Adam Trautman - 35 (57%)
Both tight ends had some opportunities to make some big plays, but failed to get them. It wasn't their best showing by any means, so they'll have to be better in the next one. They're an important piece to what the Saints do offensively.
Mark Ingram - 30 (49%)
Ingram's return to the lineup was a tough outing, as he finished with 10 yards on 9 carries and added 2 catches for 8 yards. Boom and Zoom will be needed in a big way down the stretch, so it was good to see him back on the field at least.
Juwan Johnson - 22 (36%)
Ty Montgomery - 20 (33%)
Lil'Jordan Humphrey - 16 (26%)
James Carpenter - 9 (15%)
Adam Prentice - 8 (13%)
Prentice was wide open on a wheel route on a 3rd Down play, and Taysom Hill is going to be sick that he missed him.
Easop Winston Jr. - 1 (2%)
Winston Jr.'s big 34-yard punt return helped set up the game's first points, and that was all the Saints needed to win. It'll be interesting to see how New Orleans uses him going forward, as they reached their limit of practice squad elevations.

Defense

Malcolm Jenkins, Marcus Williams, Demario Davis - 74 (100%)
Davis tied with C.J. Gardner-Johnson with 7 total tackles on the night (3 solo, 4 assisted). He also had a pass defense that somehow was still caught. He said after the game that he wanted to give Dennis Allen a game ball, and probably should have. However, Allen stressed that this was a team effort. He also said that the defense's performance was the mentality of what they're supposed to do. Tom Brady was sacked four times, while New Orleans went 6-of-19 on 3rd Down attempts. They netted 302 yards of offense (118 on the ground and 184 passing). The big thing for them was getting two turnovers, which was clearly significant.
Marshon Lattimore - 73 (99%)
Lattimore finished with 4 solo tackles, 2 pass breakups, and a fumble recovery. The catch he allowed to Mike Evans was just a perfectly placed throw and catch. He almost started the game off with a pick of Brady on the first play.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson - 70 (95%)
Gardner-Johnson was one of the best players on the field on the night, and he had himself a great birthday. He tied for the team lead with 7 tackles (6 solo, 1 assisted), had a pass breakup, and a key interception on Tom Brady to help seal things in the final quarter.
Kwon Alexander - 59 (80%)
Cam Jordan - 57 (77%)
Jordan missed playing football last week, and made up for it in a big way. He went over 100 sacks for his career after netting two against Brady, and also caused a big fumble on him to give the Saints back the ball to negate a scoring threat. He added 5 tackles (all solo) as well.
David Onyemata - 51 (69%)
Onyemata netted one of the sacks for the Saints defense, and had 6 tackles (2 solo, 4 assisted). He had 3 QB hits and a tackle for loss. It was certainly one of his better games of the year.
Marcus Davenport - 49 (66%)
Davenport had 3 solo tackles and a sack on the night. His presence has been felt, and he continues to be such an important part of the team's defensive line. If the Saints are going to win the final few games, then he's going to be a huge reason why they will.
Paulson Adebo - 41 (55%)
Carl Granderson, Bradley Roby - 35 (47%)
Shy Tuttle - 28 (38%)
Christian Ringo - 25 (34%)
Albert Huggins - 23 (31%)
P.J. Williams - 22 (30%)
Jalyn Holmes - 17 (23%)
Pete Werner, Zach Baun - 3 (4%)
J.T. Gray - 1 (1%)

Special Teams (Top Reps)

Brett Maher made all his field goals, and it's crazy to think the boat the Saints were in just a month ago. This has been a pleasant experience, to say the least. Also worth pointing out was Blake Gillikin's performance punting. He's been tremendous, and should get more Pro Bowl voting love.