Saints Snap Counts and Observations from Week 7

A closer look at the snap counts from the Saints loss to the Cardinals with some observations from the game.

This season has been a bizarre one for the Saints. There's plenty of finger-pointing going around as to who is to blame for the 2-5 start, but the locker room still stands united and believes that this thing can turn the corner. Dennis Allen said on his press conference Friday that the team is going to be off for the next couple of days and be back in Monday. Here's a look at the team's snap counts from Week 7 with some observations from the game.

Offense

• Cesar Ruiz, James Hurst, Ryan Ramczyk, Erik McCoy - 72 (100%)
  The Saints offense set the tone and was in firm control of the game early on. They finished with 494 total net yards (409 passing, 85 rushing), going 6-of-13 on 3rd Down. Of course, the big number that matters is the turnover battle, which they gave up 3. Overall, we're starting to see more of an identity for this offense, but some of the red zone calls leave a lot to the imagination. The Saints finished 3-of-5 there, so it was somewhat better, but still not what we were expecting.
• Andy Dalton - 71 (99%)
  Dalton finished 30-of-47 for 361 yards, passing 4 touchdowns and 3 picks. He also had 4 carries for 21 yards. The first interception was a costly one in the end zone that took points off the board for New Orleans. It's hard to fault him for the second pick after it went off the hands of Marquez Callaway on a ball he has to catch. The third one was a complete breakdown and great play by Isaiah Simmons. Nothing is set in stone as to who will be the starter going forward.
• Calvin Throckmorton - 70 (97%)
  Throckmorton got the start in place of Andrus Peat, who was at the game.
• Chris Olave - 55 (76%)
  Returning from a concussion, Olave led the way with 14 targets, catching 7 passes for 106 yards. That included a long gain of 41 yards. He's really found his groove in the offense and has definitely emerged as their best option without the likes of Michael Thomas. He also took some hard shots from the Cardinals defenders during the game, but kept going.
• Juwan Johnson - 53 (74%)
  Johnson was able to capitalize on the Cardinals defensive struggles against the tight end, getting into the end zone twice and finishing with 5 catches for 32 yards. We'll see if Adam Trautman is back for their next game or not.
• Marquez Callaway, Alvin Kamara - 52 (72%)
  Kamara had 11 carries for 49 yards and 7 catches for 56 yards on 9 targets. There were some hard runs he made, but also had some plays where he never had a chance. He gave a locker room speech after the loss, which seems to have landed a message with some of the players. We'll see if that actually translates to success. As for Callaway, the bobbled catch led to a pick-six, and he caught 2 passes on 6 targets for 20 yards. He's got to make catches like that deep shot on the sideline.
• Tre'Quan Smith - 44 (61%)
  Smith caught 5 of his 6 targets for 59 yards on the night. There was a play later in the game where he got flipped. He said in the locker room that he was accused of being a dirty player.
• Nick Vannett - 22 (31%)
• Kevin White - 21 (29%)
  White was called up from the practice squad and had a killer 64-yard gain on his catch and run from Dalton. You saw his speed on display, which is one of the reasons why the Saints roll with him on special teams. That gain was a career-high for him.
• Mark Ingram - 20 (28%)
  Ingram had 4 carries for 6 yards and 3 catches for 16 yards. He talked about the game afterwards in the locker room
• Taysom Hill - 18 (25%)
  Hill got his first receiving touchdown of the season to help the Saints go up 14-6. It was a nicely executed play. He wasn't really a factor in the running department (3 carries for 9 yards), but did complete both of his passes for 48 yards.
• J.P. Holtz - 13 (18%)
• Rashid Shaheed - 10 (14%)
  In limited touches, Shaheed once again delivered with an early touchdown for the Saints. He beat his defender with ease and was able to get into the end zone to take an early lead.
• Lewis Kidd - 2 (3%)
  
• Dwayne Washington - 1 (1%)

Defense

• Marcus Maye, Alontae Taylor, Demario Davis, Tyrann Mathieu - 66 (100%)
  New Orleans struggled on defense again. Arizona was just 3-of-10 on 3rd Down, gaining 326 total net yards on offense (137 rushing, 189 passing). There were moments where the defense could have gotten off the field, but Kyler Murray did a good job to help extend drives. The tackling was once again an issue, and a few big plays happened. Allen said that Taylor "fricking fought and competed on every play,” which was evident. He should have a larger role going forward. You could see him being strong in the tackling department. Mathieu's homecoming was nothing really big to talk about, while Davis had one of the sacks on the night.
• Justin Evans - 64 (97%)
  Evans was the main slot guy after things shifted due to Roby going out. There were some moments where he was lined up against DeAndre Hopkins, and the results were not favorable. There may be some adjustments coming to how the Saints handle that position, but we'll just have to wait and see.
• Chris Harris Jr. - 62 (94%)
  With the injury to Bradley Roby, Harris Jr. became CB2 on the day. The Saints are going to face an interesting decision with him, as he cannot be elevated from the practice squad again. If Roby's injury is serious enough, he could be signed to the active roster. Harris Jr. was tied for second on the team with 6 tackles (5 solo, 1 assisted) and was credited with a forced fumble.
• Pete Werner - 56 (85%)
  Werner led the way with 7 total tackles (3 solo, 4 assisted), having 2 tackles for loss and a pass defense. The present may not be ideal for the team right now, but the future sure is bright for a player like Werner.
• Cam Jordan - 49 (74%)
  Jordan picked up another sack on the year, bringing his total to up to 4.5. He also had 6 tackles on the night (4 solo, 2 assisted), with 2 for loss and had a QB hit.
• Marcus Davenport - 48 (73%)
  Davenport also finished with 6 total tackles (2 solo, 4 assisted). He's just not getting anything in the sack department this year.
• David Onyemata - 41 (62%)
  Onyemata would have posted his another sack on the year had it not been for a defensive penalty.
• Shy Tuttle - 33 (50%)
• Kentavius Street - 27 (41%)
  Street briefly left the game due to injury, but came back out not long afterwards. He had a pass defense and 2 assisted tackles.
• Malcolm Roach - 26 (39%)
• Carl Granderson - 25 (38%)
• Tanoh Kpassagnon - 17 (26%)
  Kpassagnon had some good moments in limited reps, notching 2 tackles for loss on the night.
• Bryce Thompson - 6 (9%)
• Bradley Roby - 5 (8%)
  Roby was carted off the field was an ankle injury and did not return. He was spotted in the locker room with a walking boot on his right foot. It's another unfortunate injury for New Orleans, and it looks like he may miss some time.
• Kaden Elliss - 2 (3%)
• Daniel Sorensen - 1 (2%)

Special Teams (Top Reps)

• Dwayne Washington, Andrew Dowell, J.T. Gray, Zack Baun - 26
• Daniel Sorensen - 24
• Kaden Elliss - 23
• Chase Hansen - 20

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Saints-Cardinals Coverage from the Week

• Saints Running Out of Time to Fix Season
• Saints' Self-Destruction Late in First Half Leads to Another Loss
• Saints Inactives List: Week 7
• Saints Announce Roster Moves for Thursday
• Saints vs. Cardinals Pregame Report - Week 7
• How the Saints Offense Can Keep an Underrated Cardinals Defense Off-Balance in Week 7
• Final Saints Injury Report | Week 7
• Saints Positions to Watch vs. Cardinals
• Saints at Cardinals: Key Players to Watch
• Saints Tuesday Injury Report for Week 7
• First Look: Saints vs. Cardinals
• Slumping Saints Defense Needs to Shore Up Quickly Against Explosive Arizona Offense
• Saints Monday Injury Report for Week 7
• Thomas, Landry, Lattimore Not Expected to Play Thursday