Saints Snap Counts and Observations from Week 1

A closer look at the Saints snap counts from Week 1's win against the Titans with some observations from the game.

Author:
John Hendrix
Updated:
Sep 11, 2023 7:16 PM EDT
Original:
Sep 11, 2023

In this story:

The Saints pulled out an impressive Week 1 victory, powered by a strong effort on defense. New Orleans was able to move the ball on offense as well, and they played a complimentary style of game that was able to help fuel a win. Here's a closer look at the snap counts from the game, with some observations on player performances.

Offense

The Saints had 15 first downs, going 7-of-16 on 3rd Down en route to 351 total net yards on offense. It was the most yardage output since Oct. 30 of last season against the Raiders. New Orleans couldn't get much done running the football, but that was somewhat expected facing the Titans tough run front. Tennessee won the time of possession battle 31:20-28:40.

Cesar Ruiz, Erik McCoy, Ryan Ramczyk, Trevor Penning, James Hurst - 65 (100%)
The first half was one to forget for pass protection, seeing Derek Carr get sacked four times. That was largely in part due to Trevor Penning struggling, but he had a much better second half after getting some help. There's no long-term concerns about Penning, but he's going to have to get better. The whole line will also have to be better in pass protection. The big men were able to generate a huge hole when they needed it most to ice the gam.
Derek Carr - 62 (95%)
Carr's first official outing with the Saints saw him finish 22-of-33 for 305 yards, having a touchdown and interception. His rating finished at 96.1. The pick was totally on Carr, and he admitted it was a bad throw. Overall, he made the clutch throws when it mattered the most, and it was a refreshing sight to see.
Michael Thomas - 52 (80%)
Thomas looked great in his first action, and the Saints got him involved from the very start. He finished with 5 catches for 61 yards on 8 targets, including a long of 25 on the first play on offense. Hopefully, this will be a sign of big things to come.
Chris Olave - 51 (78%)
Olave might have been the best offensive player on the field on Sunday. He finished with 112 yards on 8 catches with 10 targets. There were times he got wide open, and in particular, the play where Carr escaped pressure and Olave hung in with him for the big gain was absolutely what you wanted to see. This is going to be a killer year for the second-year receiver.
Juwan Johnson, Jamaal Williams - 49 (75%)
Williams finished with 45 yards on 18 carries and caught both of his passes for 7 yards. Every yard was tough against the Titans run defense, but the big one came at the end of the game to help the Saints win. He should have a much better outing against the Panthers. Johnson caught 3 of his 5 targets for 36 yards, including a big 27-yard gain to flip the field.
Rashid Shaheed - 35 (54%)
Shaheed overcame a rocky start after being stripped on the opening kickoff. He recorded a career-high 5 catches for 89 yards, including the 19-yard touchdown from Carr on the pump fake. His 216 all-purpose yards was a career-high, and was the highest total by a Saints player since Alvin Kamara's 283 in the regular season finale against the Bucs in 2017.
Foster Moreau - 32 (49%)
Keith Kirkwood - 22 (34%)
Adam Prentice - 11 (17%)
Taysom Hill, Jimmy Graham - 9 (14%)
Hill was virtually a non-factor this game, as they really didn't use him until the second half. He did make some special teams plays. Graham didn't register anything on the stat sheet, but he sure did get things started with an emotional and fiery Who Dat chant.
Tony Jones Jr. - 7 (11%)
Kirk Merritt - 2 (3%)

Defense

USATSI_21390549_168388561_lowres — New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis (56) celebrates tackling Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) in the third quarter against the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023.

The Saints defense allowed 285 total net yards against the Titans. Tennessee went 2-of-12 on 3rd Down, and at one point they were 0-of-8. The team did pretty good against Derrick Henry, all things considered. The screen play was the only real play the defense would have wanted back.

Ryan Tannehill netted 181 passing yards and was sacked three times. Add the three picks and Tannehill turned in a 28.8 rating. It was a tremendous first outing for the New Orleans defense, especially not allowing a touchdown. It was the second time in three season openers they didn't allow one.

Marcus Maye, Paulson Adebo, Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Tyrann Mathieu - 63 (100%)
Maye and Adebo both had picks on the afternoon, as it was a refreshing site to see the whole secondary playing a game together. Demario Davis led the way with 10 total tackles (9 solo, 1 assisted) with a tackle for loss. Pete Werner was right behind him with 8 tackles (3 solo, 5 assisted), a half sack, and a QB hit.
Marshon Lattimore - 60 (95%)
Lattimore had a very strong outing in his season debut, notching 2 total tackles, 4 pass breakups, and an interception while defending DeAndre Hopkins. He got a little gassed from the action, but missed only a few snaps.
Cam Jordan - 54 (86%)
Jordan had a QB hit, half sack, and 2 pass breakups at the line of scrimmage to go along with 5 total tackles (2 solo, 3 assisted).
Carl Granderson - 47 (75%)
Granderson led the way with 1.5 sacks for the defense, having 4 quarterback hits and 4 total tackles (2 solo, 2 assisted). He had a strong training camp and put on display what we saw in the offseason.
Alontae Taylor - 43 (68%)
Taylor's first outing in the slot was strong overall, and he's going to only get better. There were some strong tackles he made in space that might have went for extra yards had it not been for his effort.
Nathan Shepherd - 32 (51%)
Khalen Saunders - 28 (44%)
Tanoh Kpassagnon - 27 (43%)
Bryan Bresee - 26 (41%)
Bresee had a great rookie debut, getting two QB hits and notching a half sack. You could see the strong push he can get in real time, so we only hope it keeps going for him.
Malcolm Roach - 19 (30%)
Zack Baun - 16 (25%)
Baun's blocked punt may not count as a turnover, but it certainly was a big deal after the punt netted a whole yard.
Jordan Howden - 12 (19%)
Howden was the extra defensive back in dime situations. He didn't get on the stat sheet, but it's a sign of how much New Orleans trusts him.
Payton Turner - 7 (11%)
Turner was having a strong game until getting hurt in the second quarter. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound good. The initial belief is turf toe, which will require surgery and force him to miss a considerable amount of action. It's a tough break for someone who was a part of the whole offseason program and had a good training camp. The sad part is that he also got held on the play he got hurt too, and it wasn't called.
Isaac Yiadom, Ugo Amadi - 3 (5%)
Amadi came in for Alontae Taylor when he went out for a few plays as the slot corner. He made a nice pass breakup and almost had a pick. As for Yiadom, he made a great play coming in for Marshon Lattimore, which led to a pick for Marcus Maye off the tip.
Ryan Connelly - 1 (2%)

Special Teams (Top Reps)

Blake Grupe's first outing was a very successful one, reinforcing the Saints decision to go with him as their kicker. He made his extra point and all three of his field goals, including a long one from 52 yards.

Lou Hedley also had a pretty good debut, although some of the punts didn't have much to his hang time. It's unclear as to whether or not that was by design, but he averaged 48.2 yards/punt with his 6 punts for 241 yards, with a long of 52.