Week 8 Saints Snap Counts and Observations
A closer look at the Week 8 snap counts for the Saints, with some observations from their big NFC South win over the Bucs.
The Saints really weren't given a chance to win the game, as many national talking heads suggested and displayed through their game picks. New Orleans did not disappoint on Halloween, even with their star quarterback being forced out of the game due to injury. Many unsung heroes came up big for the Saints, and it helped them get a huge NFC South victory over the Bucs.
Here's a closer look at the snap counts and observations from Sunday's game.
Offense
- Cesar Ruiz, James Hurst, Ryan Ramczyk, Terron Armstead, Erik McCoy - 76 (100%)
Hurst got the start instead of Calvin Throckmorton, and it paid off. New Orleans put up 361 total yards of offense and gained 152 yards on the ground. The offensive line allowed only just one sack on Trevor Siemian, and won the time of possession battle 33:16-26:44. - Adam Trautman - 66 (87%)
He was targeted 6 times, but only caught 2 passes for 4 yards on the day. His value was more in blocking on the day, and he made several key ones against the Bucs. We'll see what happens when Nick Vannett comes back into the mix. - Marquez Callaway - 59 (78%)
Callaway was targeted 5 times and caught 3 of them for 30 yards. Arguably, the most important catch came in during clutch time on the final drive, similar to last week against the Seahawks. It was good to see Michael Thomas back on the sideline talking with the receivers. Callaway's back half of the year could be significant when MT returns. - Trevor Siemian - 56 (74%)
Not all heroes wear capes. A seasoned veteran stepped in during a game where he probably thought he wouldn't sniff the field and helped lead his team to a huge NFC South victory. Siemian was fairly aggressive throwing, going 16-of-29 for 159 yards and a touchdown pass to Alex Armah. As we look forward to seeing who leads the Saints now at quarterback going forward, Siemian delivered in a huge way and will be a legend for at least a couple weeks. - Alvin Kamara - 51 (67%)
Getting yards against the Bucs run front is tough, but the Saints kept going to it and Kamara finally found some success. He finished with 19 carries for 61 yards and a score on the ground, and caught 3 of his 4 targets for 15 yards. Tampa has done a pretty good job taking Kamara out of games, but the 4th-and-Goal play was a thing of beauty and vintage Alvin. - Tre'Quan Smith - 48 (63%)
Smith made up for some shortcomings last week, catching all 3 of his targets for 33 yards, including a 16-yard score from Winston. It was good to see him rebound, and he'll be important to what the Saints do at receiver the rest of the way. - Ty Montgomery - 33 (43%)
Just 2 targets for Montgomery on the day, and he caught 1 of them for 4 yards. His impact was definitely felt more in special teams, but he's been a good blocker too. - Garrett Griffin - 27 (36%)
Griffin ended up getting several rare targets and caught all 3 of them for 30 yards. He's not one you think of when you talk about moving the chains of offensive production, but it worked, and that's all that matters. - Deonte Harris - 24 (32%)
Harris' returned helped boost the offense in a nice way, although it didn't totally reflect on the stat sheet. He was key on converting 3rd and 4th Down attempts. He was targeted 7 times on the day, hauling in 3 catches for 35 yards. He also had a huge 22-yard reverse that helped put the Saints in business at the end of the game. Harris was also aggressive bringing kicks out of the end zone and active in the punt return department. - Mark Ingram - 22 (29%)
The energy Mark Ingram brought to the table was insane. He received an incredible ovation when being introduced as a starter, and he also got it again while leading the Who Dat chant. He finished with 6 carries for 27 yards and added 2 catches for 25 yards. Boom and Zoom is here to stay. - Jameis Winston - 20 (26%)
Winston was sharp early on, and his touchdown throw to Tre'Quan Smith was a thing of beauty. What you could appreciate even more is the good decisions Winston made with his legs on plays. He finished 6-of-10 for 56 yards and a passing touchdown while adding 4 runs for 40 yards. It's an absolutely shame that it appears his season is over. - Juwan Johnson - 17 (22%)
Johnson didn't catch his lone target, but it was close. He's not been as active as he was early in the season. However, New Orleans is using him a decent bit. - Calvin Throckmorton - 14 (18%)
Throckmorton came into the game as the Jumbo option. The Bucs are a tough run front, but the Saints did find some success. - Kevin White, Alex Armah - 9 (12%)
Unsung heroes played a major part in the game, and these two made big impacts in the grand scheme of things. White caught his lone target, but it came at a great time to open the third quarter. He ended up leading the team with 38 receiving yards. As far as Armah, he got into the end zone for the first time in two years after securing his lone catch on a 4th-and-Goal from the 1-yard-line. - Kenny Stills - 1 (1%)
Defense
- Malcolm Jenkins, Marshon Lattimore, Demario Davis, Marcus Williams - 61 (100%)
Jenkins had 2 pass breakups on the day, and one of those were on Rob Gronkowski near the goal line. He looked to have had a forced fumble on Leonard Fournette near the goal line too, but the play was overturned. Despite turning 34 in December, there's a lot to love about what he's bringing to the table. Demario Davis took notes of what Skip Bayless said about the Saints defense earlier in the week, and it came back up after the game. He had a strong game and continues to impress week after week. - C.J. Gardner-Johnson - 59 (97%)
The Bucs were all too eager to attack CJGJ, and that is a huge reason why Chris Godwin had a field day (8-140-TD). However, he ended up having a key interception and added a pass defense to go along with his 6 total tackles (5 solo, 1 assisted) to finish behind Marcus Williams (8 tackles - 5 solo, 3 assisted). - Cam Jordan - 49 (80%)
Jordan got a strip-sack on Brady, getting up to 96.5 for his career. He's hitting a stride at the right time of the year, and getting Marcus Davenport and David Onyemata back is a big boost for the whole line. He gets Matt Ryan next, and you know what that could mean. - Marcus Davenport - 40 (66%)
Davenport finished with 3 solo tackles, which included one for a loss. Towards the end of the game, it looked like he got a bit shaken up, but ended up being okay. The Saints defensive line is nastier with him being back in the lineup, and I don't think it's a coincidence that the Saints have netted 8 sacks in the past two games. - Pete Werner, Paulson Adebo - 33 (54%)
Werner finished with 4 total tackles (3 solo, 1 assisted), and one of them was a textbook read to make a loss on the opening play of the game. Adebo had 4 combined tackles as well (3 solo, 1 assisted). The biggest mystery is what happened on the Cyril Grayson touchdown. Someone blew an assignment, and the way Lattimore looked over, it might have been the rookie. - Tanoh Kpassagnon - 30 (49%)
Kpassagnon got a sack on the Bucs' final offensive possession, and it brings him up to 4 on the season in 6 appearances. That ties his career high from 2019. He's been the addition that many rarely speak of, but he's been a good one so far. - Bradley Roby - 28 (46%)
Roby ended up traveling with Chris Godwin on some of the drives, and it's been a familiar scene seeing he and Adebo rotate series. - David Onyemata, Kwon Alexander, Shy Tuttle - 27 (44%)
Onyemata's presence was felt immediately from the very first snap. He only registered a fumble recovery on the stat sheet after Jordan's strip-sack on Brady, but he's just getting started after being suspended for the first 6 games. Alexander had 5 total tackles (3 solo, 2 assisted) and a sack on the final Bucs play to close things out. He had a bit more share this game than the one against the Seahawks. - Montravius Adams - 22 (36%)
- P.J. Williams, Christian Ringo - 17 (28%)
Williams ended up putting the Bucs to bed after sealing a victory through his pick-6 of Tom Brady. He said afterwards that the coaches were a bit mad that he didn't go down, but he also knew he had control of the ball and ended up scoring. He's the team leader in interceptions this season with 3. - Carl Granderson - 16 (26%)
Granderson only posted a single tackle, and it was assisted. The Athletic's Katherine Terrell noted that he went to the locker room in the second half. We'll see what happens there. - Kaden Elliss - 2 (3%)
Special Teams (Top Reps)
- Kaden Elliss, Jeff Heath, Andrew Dowell, J.T. Gray, Zack Baun - 21
- Ty Montgomery - 16
- Garrett Griffin, Kevin White, Brian Johnson - 15
