PFF Grades Back Up What You Saw vs. Atlanta = Bleak Results

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We really didn't want to do a PFF story this week. After Monday night's Debacle in the Dome, we knew the PFF scores would be brutal, and we weren't wrong.

Using Pro Football Focus (PFF) as one source of data, we are able to compare the Saints' progress. PFF has analysts watch and chart every player on every single snap of every game, giving them a grade from 0 to 100 based on how well they execute their assignment. Here is how PFF breaks down their scale:

- 90+: Elite
- 80–89: Good
- 70–79: Above average
- 60–69: Average
- 50–59: Below average / bad
- 40–49: Poor
- 39 or lower: Very poor / terrible

It was a bad day all around, from all three phases of the game.

Offense Scores the Lowest of the Season

After its best performance in a losing effort to Las Vegas a week ago, the New Orleans offense drop was drastic. An almost 10-point overall slash in the PFF offensive score to 65.7 was recorded against Atlanta, the lowest in four games. Most of those dire numbers came in the run game and in pass blocking.

For the Saints rushing attack, the team actually almost tied their second highest overall score for the year from PFF: 53.3. Pass blocking was its second lowest of the season, dropping to a PFF grade of 54.8 against the Falcons.

Individual Offensive Numbers vs. Atlanta

The top scoring offensive player for the Saints was receiver Devaughn Vele at a PFF grade of 77.2, closely followed by fellow wide out Chris Olave with a score of 76.6. The lowest scores for overall offense by PFF were given to tight end Oscar Delp with a 37.1 and running back Kendre Miller with an overall grade of 41.4.

In the pass game, Vele and Olave topped the list at 76.8 and 75.3 respectively while running back Alvin Kamara scored a 69.9 The lowest pass game scores were given to a pair of rookies: receiver Bryce Lance with a 50.8 and Delp at 51.2.

In the run game, only rookie free agent running back CJ Donaldson scored decently, with a PFF grade of 69. Miller was by far the lowest score, hitting 36.6, more than twenty points lower than any other offensive player's individual running game scores.

In pass blocking, tight ends Delp and Juwan Johnson were tops at 72.9 and 72.2 PFF scores respectively. Kamara was not far behind at 70.2.

Offensive Line Numbers Barely Okay for Run and Pass

Guard Cesar Ruiz graded well in run blocking again, scoring 76.2 from PFF against the Falcons. Tackle Taliese Fuaga was not far behind at 73.6 with center Erik McCoy graded at 70.8. Guard David Edwards had his worst game blocking in the running game with a PFF grade of 50. Tackle Asim Richards had the lowest grade of the O-line in blocking for the rush at 49.7.

For pass blocking, McCoy was tops at 69.7, followed by Ruiz at 67.4. Fuaga was next at a PFF grade of 54.9. Edwards' bad day continued in blocking for the pass game with a 51.8 grade, and Richards was the bottom again at a PFF score of 41.

Defense Drops to the Bottom of the Barrel

If, like us, you thought 21-point loss to the Falcons was the worse defensive performance of the year, you were spot on. The overall PFF score of 33.6 is by far the worst of the year, almost half of last week's score against Las Vegas, which was the D's best performance of the season. Coverage on pass plays hit the bottom as a team at 29.4 while tackling also hit a season-low PFF grade of 29.4. Pass rush by the Saints defenders, though a 61 by PFF, was the lowest of the season.

You could say that without EDGE Chase Young, this defense would be considerably lower in its PFF scoring and you wouldn't be too far off. Young topped all defensive players with an overall PFF grade of 77.1, as he defended the rush as well as he rushed the passer, scoring a 75.8 PFF in both categories. Season veteran Cam Jordan had his best game of his injury-shortened season thus far, according to PFF. His overall score of 76.2, second only to Young, was highlighted by his rushing defense score of 75.2. Jordan's pass rushing grade of 60.2, though did not help.

The best tackling grade on the defense went to linebacker Danny Stutsman with a 79.5 score by PFF. Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry was second in tackling at 75.2.

The lowest scoring defenders included cornerback Quincy Riley with an overall score of 28, followed by defensive tackles Khristian Boyd and Vernon Broughton at 29.4 then McKinstry at 29.5.

Riley's poor numbers were from two very low grades: his tackling score from PFF at 25.9 and his coverage grade of 27.8. Boyd and Broughton had very poor tackling grades of 26.6 and 23.1 respectively, Broughton's score being the lowest on the team.

With tackling as low on the scale as it has been all year, we found six defensive culprits who led to that 29.4 overall tackling score.

Broughton's 23.1
Riley's 25.9
Boyd's 26.6
Justin Reid's 28.6
Pete Werner's 28.8 and
Jonas Sanker's 30.3

No other defensive player was given a PFF score below a 50 in their tackling grade.

Even Special Teams Dropped Drastically

Ryan Wright's outstanding day rescued this third of the Saints game. The New Orleans punter graded his best of the year, at a PFF 75.7. His punts may have been one of the few highlights of the night against Atlanta.

Kicker Daniel Carlson had an off night, grading only a 53 in his field goals and a 60 for his kickoff efforts.

For special teams players, only Donaldson and linebacker Chris Rumph II scored at 70 or better, placing the Saints overall special teams score from PFF at 57.9, by far the lowest grades of the year for that group.

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