Saints Snap Counts and Observations from Week 11

We put a bow on the Rams game, taking a look at the snap counts and giving some observations from the Saints win in Week 11.

Wins haven't happened much for the Saints this season, but Sunday was a good example of what we expected to see more of. The team had a stellar second half to knock off the Rams 27-20, once again putting in a complete game in all three phases to secure a much-needed victory. Here's a closer look at the snap counts from Week 11, with some observations from the game.

Offense

Nov 20, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Andy Dalton (14) celebrates his touchdown pass with tight end Juwan Johnson (83) in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

• Calvin Throckmorton, Cesar Ruiz, Josh Andrews, Landon Young, Ryan Ramczyk - 57 (100%)
  The Saints offense was fairly efficient against the Rams, totaling 323 yards (88 rushing, 235 passing) on the day. They finished 4-of-11 on 3rd Down, averaging 5.8 yards per play. Dalton was sacked three times and Hill was sacked once on the day, although some of those were not exactly on the offensive line. Overall, the team did a good job on Aaron Donald, and they played a very clean game in the penalty department. The line got the job done, and that's all you can ask for when you're down three starters.
• Adam Trautman, Alvin Kamara, Andy Dalton - 40 (70%)
  Dalton was extremely efficient on the day, finishing 21-of-25 for 260 yards and 3 touchdowns en route to a 149.6 rating. He didn't turn the ball over either, which is obviously a big sticking point. Alvin Kamara had 12 carries for 42 yards, while adding 4 catches for 47 yards on 5 targets. The lone miss was a drop on the first offensive play of the game that saw him have room to run. Trautman caught all three of his targets for 12 yards.
• Juwan Johnson - 36 (63%)
  Johnson continues to be hot in the Saints offense, finishing out with 3 catches for 47 yards on 4 targets and getting into the end zone for the fourth consecutive game. He was a favorite target of Jameis Winston, and has easily become one for Andy Dalton.
• Jarvis Landry - 32 (56%)
  Landry finished with 3 catches for 33 yards on 4 targets, getting into the end zone for the first time as a Saint after back-to-back receptions. It's interesting that he saw the most receiver work, but is a good sign of how far he's come from that ankle injury. If New Orleans can keep getting production from him, then it would really help down the stretch.
• Rashid Shaheed, Chris Olave - 28 (49%)
  Olave had a fairly slow start to the game, but came on big in the second half to finish with 5 catches for 102 yards on 6 targets, including the big 53-yard touchdown bomb from Andy Dalton. Shaheed caught just a single pass for 8 yards on 2 targets, but definitely made an impact in the return game. It feels like it's only a matter of time before he breaks one.
• Taysom Hill - 24 (42%)
  Hill got the ball more in this game, and his utilization was a big reason why the Saints won. He got 17 snaps at quarterback, finishing out as the leading rusher with 9 carries for 52 yards. He went 1-of-3 for 14 yards passing, and also caught his lone target for 8 yards. It may not look the same every week, but if they can find ways to maximize efficiency, then it would go a long way.
• Marquez Callaway - 21 (37%)
  After being a healthy scratch last week, Callaway returned to the lineup for New Orleans. He wasn't really a factor on the stat sheet, catching his one look for 6 yards.
• Adam Prentice - 20 (35%)
  We don't talk about fullbacks much, but Prentice made some key blocks throughout the game, including a nice one on Aaron Donald early on for a 3rd-and-1 play. 
• Tre'Quan Smith, David Johnson - 10 (18%)
  Johnson's first game as a Saint saw him catch a pass and make some moves for an 11-yard gain, but his lone rush attempt went for negative yardage.
• Dwayne Washington - 6 (11%)
• Lewis Kidd - 4 (7%)
• Yasir Durant - 2 (4%)
• Kevin White - 1 (2%)

Defense

Nov 20, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints linebacker Kaden Elliss (55) celebrates a sack in the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

• Marcus Maye, Paulson Adebo, Demario Davis, Alontae Taylor, Tyrann Mathieu - 64 (100%)
  The New Orleans defense had a strong start to the game, and aside the big play given up to TuTu Atwell and drive before halftime, they looked pretty good. The Rams went 5-14 on 3rd Down, totaling 336 yards (148 rushing, 188 passing). Demario Davis was second on the team with 8 total tackles (3 solo, 5 assisted) with a half sack. The duo of Taylor and Adebo had another strong outing, with one of the pass breakups made by Taylor being pure perfection to negate a Rams first down. Adebo and Taylor both finished with 5 tackles each, with Adebo flashing really well early on. Mathieu finished with 6 total tackles (4 solo, 2 assisted) and a pass breakup. The big touchdown to Atwell left some things to the imagination, however.
• Chris Harris Jr. - 63 (98%)
  As soon as we praised Harris Jr. for how good he has looked the past few weeks, he got burned on the Atwell touchdown. Naturally, we have to wonder where the safety help was over the top on that matchup. He finished with 4 solo tackles and a pass breakup.
• Kaden Elliss - 59 (92%)
  Elliss graded out as the top Saints defender, and he's been extremely impressive filling in for Pete Werner. New Orleans' 'next man up mentality' has really produced some good play from some particular players, and Elliss is the latest example. He led the way with 10 tackles (5 solo, 5 assisted), getting 1.5 sacks, 2 QB hits, a tackle for loss, and pass defense on the day.
• Carl Granderson - 49 (77%)
  Granderson had one of his best games with the Saints, finishing out third on the team with 7 total tackles (3 solo, 4 assisted) and 1.5 sacks. He had 2 QB hits and a tackle for loss. Unless something changes with the pass rush, expect him to see a good bit of snaps against the 49ers.
• Tanoh Kpassagnon - 41 (64%)
  Kpassagnon didn't do a lot on the stat sheet, but finished out with a half sack and assisted tackle on the day. Like Granderson, he'll likely see more action in San Francisco this weekend.
• David Onyemata - 36 (56%)
  The sack streak came to an end for Oynemata, but he did finish out with 5 total tackles (3 solo, 2 assisted).
• Kentavius Street - 30 (47%)
• Shy Tuttle - 26 (41%)
  Tuttle had a key pass breakup in the 4th Quarter to turn the Rams away and force a field goal attempt.
• Jabari Zuniga - 25 (39%)
  We might expect to see Zuniga play again this weekend after being a recent add to the practice squad and elevated for the game due to injuries. 
• Malcolm Roach - 24 (38%)
• P.J. Williams - 15 (23%)
• Payton Turner - 13 (20%)
  Turner was lost after a play in which he helped make a key 4th Down stop. He got rolled up from behind and had to be carted off. We learned on Monday that it's a low-ankle sprain, and it sounds like he avoided major injury. He'll be day-to-day, week-to-week.
• Daniel Sorensen - 2 (3%)
• Zack Baun - 1 (2%)

Special Teams (Top Reps)

• Dwayne Washington, Zack Baun, Andrew Dowell - 25
• Daniel Sorensen, Bryce Thompson - 20
• Juwan Johnson - 16
• Nephi Sewell - 15
• Justin Evans, Carl Granderson, Adam Prentice - 14

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