Week 17 Saints Snap Counts and Observations

A closer look at the snap counts from Week 17's Saints win over the Panthers with some observations from the game.

John Hendrix | Jan 5, 2022

The Saints kept their season going after beating the Panthers on Sunday, once again powered by a strong defensive effort. The 18-10 win also saw the offense do a lot better, but drives ended up stalling out and the kicking game picked up the slack. Here's some observations from the game, as we look at the snap counts from the Week 17 win.

Offense

Calvin Throckmorton, Cesar Ruiz, James Hurst, Jordan Mills, Will Clapp, Taysom Hill - 58 (100%)
The Saints offense was much better this week, which isn't saying a ton given how bad things were against the Dolphins. Still, they went 5-of-13 on 3rd Down and totaled 280 yards (73 rushing, 207 passing). Taysom Hill finished 17-of-28 for 222 yards and a touchdown pass while adding 12 carries for 45 yards. Hill was sacked twice, and was far from perfect. There was a play he and Callaway weren't on the same page which almost led to a pick, and then another where Hill could have had Juwan Johnson over the middle on a crossing route.
Marquez Callaway - 49 (84%)
Callaway had another strong game for the offense, hauling in 6 catches for 97 yards on 10 targets. It's been a tough year for Saints receivers, but we're really starting to see Callaway come into his own as of late. Let's hope it's not too late for the Saints.
Adam Trautman - 48 (83%)
No targets for Trautman in this game, as New Orleans was once again limited to two tight ends.
Alvin Kamara - 45 (78%)
Kamara was held in check for the most part again, finishing with 13 carries for 32 yards and adding 5 catches for 68 yards on 6 targets. 30 of those rushing yards came on one play, while he also got the Saints into the end zone for the first time since the end of the Jets game.
Lil'Jordan Humphrey - 37 (64%)
Humphrey caught both of his targets for 26 yards, which included a long of 18.
Juwan Johnson - 27 (47%)
Deonte Harris - 24 (41%)
Adam Prentice - 20 (34%)
James Carpenter - 13 (22%)
Carpenter returned to handle his Jumbo set duties, but New Orleans isn't getting much traction in its run game. With one regular season game to go, it'll have to be better.
Kenny Stills - 10 (17%)
Stills continues to be a non-factor in the offense. However, he's going to be playing as long as someone like Tre'Quan Smith is injured.
Tony Jones Jr. - 9 (16%)
Ty Montgomery - 8 (14%)

Defense

Paulson Adebo, Malcolm Jenkins, Marshon Lattimore, Demario Davis - 61 (100%)
The Saints really settled in defensively after allowing a Panthers touchdown in the second quarter. They went 6-of-14 on 3rd Down, allowing just 178 total net yards (88 rushing, 90 passing). They got 7 sacks on Sam Darnold, and are playing some of their best football right now.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson - 52 (85%)
You just can't overlook the energy that CJGJ brings to the table, and he ended up getting the game-sealing pick. He also had a sack and pass defense to go along with his lone solo tackle, which went for a loss.
Cam Jordan - 48 (79%)
Jordan has been on a real tear over the past three games, notching 6.5 sacks to go along with 8 total tackles (6 solo, 2 assisted). He picked up 2.5 against Sam Darnold, bringing his season total to 11.5. It wasn't so long ago that Jordan was at zero for the year going into Week 7 against the Seahawks. Heating up at the right time means a lot for this defense.
Kwon Alexander - 47 (77%)
Alexander also had 8 tackles (6 solo, 2 assisted) and a half sack. He finished with 2 QB hits, and has had a really strong season for the Saints after missing last game due to COVID.
David Onyemata - 44 (72%)
Jeff Heath - 39 (64%)
Heath played a lot more due to the P.J. Williams injury. His first snap wasn't ideal, as it was the touchdown run for the Panthers. However, he settled into the game and ended up having 2 solo tackles and a sack.
Marcus Davenport - 38 (62%)
Davenport recovered a fumble from Darnold and finished with 2 assisted tackles. He's a guy that doesn't have to get production in the stat department to be effective. He's been instrumental in resurrecting the team's pass rush.
Carl Granderson, P.J. Williams - 25 (41%)
Williams was dealing with an injury that forced him out of action. He went out briefly the first time, but the second one put him in the injury tent and he ended up leaving the field and didn't return. He's proved to be a huge commodity for the Saints defense this year, and he's really played his way into a good next contract. He forced a fumble on Darnold, being credited with a sack on the play and had 3 total tackles (2 solo, 1 assisted).
Christian Ringo - 21 (34%)
Shy Tuttle - 20 (33%)
J.T. Gray, Albert Huggins - 17 (28%)
Gray ended up playing more due to the Williams injury.
Jalyn Holmes - 13 (21%)
Pete Werner - 12 (20%)
Kaden Elliss - 9 (15%)

Special Teams (Top Reps)

Brett Maher has proved to be a huge commodity for the Saints, as he converted all four of his field goal attempts. He did have a missed extra point, but we can look past that for at least one week. The way things have played out offensively, he's been a subtle MVP for the team by putting points on the board.

Kaden Elliss, J.T. Gray, Andrew Dowell, Zack Baun - 21
Pete Werner, Dwayne Washington - 18
Jeff Heath - 13

Offense

Defense

Special Teams (Top Reps)

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