Week 9 Saints Snap Counts and Observations

A closer look at the Saints snap counts and playing time percentages from their dominate prime time win over the Bucs.

Author:
John Hendrix
Publish date:
Nov 9, 2020 4:00 PM EST

Virtually no one picked the Saints to beat the Bucs on Sunday Night Football, and they were completely dumbfounded and shocked to find New Orleans dominate so easily in Week 9. Nearly everything went right for Sean Payton's squad, and it was a great way to close out the first half of their season. Here's a look at the snap counts and playing time percentages from the team's big statement victory.

Offense

Erik McCoy - 73 (100%)
McCoy was the lone offensive player to go the distance in the blowout. The Saints offense finished with 420 total net yards, averaging 5.8 yards per play while going 9-of-14 on 3rd down.
Andrus Peat, Ryan Ramczyk, Terron Armstead - 63 (86%)
Some of the Saints offensive line took a well deserved rest after the game was all but over. They controlled the line of scrimmage most all night against a vaunted Bucs front seven.
Drew Brees - 60 (82%)
Brees had a solid outing and is red hot right now. He finished 26-of-32 for 222 yards with 4 touchdowns, good for a 135.2 rating on the evening. He had a fumble from a Shaq Barrett pressure, which didn't seem like it got reviewed, but still, Brees was spectacular. In his last three games, Brees is 86-of-109 (78.9 percent) with 789 yards, 8 touchdowns, and no picks. Those air yards though.
Cesar Ruiz - 49 (67%)
It appeared that Ruiz was rotating some series with Nick Easton. However, Ruiz started the game for New Orleans. He was on the sidelines and in on extra points, so it didn't appear to anything injury related.
Josh Hill, Tre'Quan Smith - 45 (62%)
Hill (2 targets, 2 catches) and Smith (2 targets, 1 catch) both finished with 14 receiving yards, but also scored. Smith's touchdown set the tone for the evening, while Hill's came late.
Michael Thomas - 40 (55%)
The Saints were smart with Thomas in his return, but he led the team with 5 catches for 51 yards on 6 targets. He'll only get better during the back half of the season.
Alvin Kamara - 37 (51%)
Kamara didn't have a huge impact on the evening, but that didn't matter. He finished with 40 rushing yards on 9 carries, including a goal line plunge. In the receiving department, he had 5 catches for 9 yards on 6 targets.
Nick Easton - 34 (47%)
Adam Trautman, Latavius Murray - 29 (40%)
Trautman had his best game with the Saints, finishing with 3 receptions for 39 yards and a score.
Michael Burton - 28 (38%)
Jared Cook - 26 (36%)
Cook had a rough night, coughing up the football near the goal line in the first quarter while also giving up a bad pressure to Barrett on the Brees sack/fumble. He was really the lone blemish of the night.
James Hurst - 25 (34%)
Hurst was used a good bit in jumbo packages, and ended up getting more playing time late with the team resting starters.
Emmanuel Sanders - 22 (30%)
Sanders had 4 receptions for 38 yards and a score on 5 targets. He wasn't used a ton compared to the rest of the receivers, but made plays when it counted.
Taysom Hill - 19 (26%)
Hill has found his groove this season, and it was on full display against the Bucs. He went 2-of-2 for 48 yards while being the team's leading rusher (7-54). He also added a reception for 21 yards. Games like this are why they paid the man.
Marquez Callaway - 17 (23%)
Ethan Greenidge, Jameis Winston - 10 (14%)
Winston came in when the game was well in hand, and even completed his lone pass for 12 yards. The post game antics were on another level, as he 'ate a W' during a Brees interview.
Dwayne Washington, Deonte Harris - 8 (11%)
Harris had just one catch for 40 yards, but it was a monster play where he showed you how crazy he can on offense. Again, another weapon the Saints have that drive teams wild.

Defense

Malcolm Jenkins, Marcus Williams, Janoris Jenkins, Demario Davis - 49 (98%)
Malcolm Jenkins and Williams both had picks, something you love to see. Perhaps what was even better was the fact that Jenkins was stellar on the evening, leading the team with 5 tackles alongside Davis. Rob Gronkowski had a single catch for 2 yards on 6 targets. Janoris Jenkins had a pass interference in the end zone, but finished with 2 tackles and 2 pass defenses on the evening.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson - 46 (92%)
Ceedy Duce didn't blow up the stat sheet (1 solo, 1 assisted tackle), but that's not a bad thing. The Saints had a great defensive night, allowing just 194 total yards on defense.
Cam Jordan, Marshon Lattimore - 36 (72%)
Lattimore didn't allow anything on Mike Evans, again. He left the game early, apparently needing fluids. He later returned, but had a pretty solid game with 3 total tackles and a pass defense.
P.J. Williams, David Onyemata - 35 (70%)
Williams had 5 total tackles (3 solo, 2 assisted) in more extensive play time on Sunday. Onyemata said he had the first ever interception of his career, and it was the first defensive line pick for the Saints since Shy Tuttle's infamous Matt Ryan stiff arm on Thanksgiving.
Trey Hendrickson - 31 (62%)
Hendrickson had another killer game for the Saints, notching another 2 sacks for the season. He's now third in the league with 7.5 sacks, only behind Aaron Donald (9) and Myles Garrett (9).
Marcus Davenport, Malcom Brown - 28 (56%)
Davenport had a key play in which he tipped a Brady pass that eventually landed in the arms of David Onyemata. He's definitely been playing strong since returning. Brown had the other Saints sack on the evening.
Alex Anzalone - 22 (44%)
The Saints rolled a bit more coverage out with Davis as the lone linebacker. Anzalone had 2 assisted tackles. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Kwon Alexander enters the picture, which is expected to be this week.
Shy Tuttle, Malcolm Roach - 17 (34%)
Carl Granderson - 12 (24%)
D.J. Swearinger - 8 (16%)
Zack Baun - 2 (4%)
Craig Robertson - 1 (2%)