Week 13 Saints Snap Counts and Observations

The Saints kept things interesting on Sunday in their win against the Falcons, but were able to hold on and clinch a playoff berth in the process.

The Saints are 10-2 after sweeping the Falcons for the eighth time since 2006. Sean Payton is 8-0 in the past two seasons without Drew Brees now, and should be in the Head Coach of the Year conversation if he hasn't been already. Here's a look at how Week 13's snap counts and playing time percentages went down for New Orleans.

Offense

• Ryan Ramczyk, Andrus Peat, Nick Easton, James Hurst, Erik McCoy, Taysom Hill - 78 (100%)
  The Saints rushing attack put up over 200 rushing yards (207) for the second straight week. The Falcons got two sacks on Taysom Hill. New Orleans dominated the time of possession battle 36:54 to 23:06, and it's refreshing to see their entire starting offensive line go the distance. Taysom Hill had his best game as a quarterback, finishing 27-of-37 for 232 yards and 2 passing touchdowns (107.0 Rating). He added 83 yards on the ground on 14 carries (5.9 yards/carry), with a long of 43. He did fumble twice, one that had to have a further look, and then the other at the end of the game when the Saints were trying to close things out that resulted in the clock stopping. Sean Payton said he has to have better ball security as a runner, but let's not let this overshadow his performance.
• Tre'Quan Smith - 63 (81%)
  Smith was targeted 6 times on the day, hauling in 3 catches for 42 yards and a score. He had a long of 21, and appeared to be Hill's preferred target early on. He also had a rare rush on a jet sweep for 3 yards. He was used a lot in run-blocking.
• Emmanuel Sanders - 49 (63%)
  Sanders finished with 5 catches for 39 yards on 6 targets. There was a play where Hill wanted to dial-up a deep shot to him, but he just didn't have the time.
• Alvin Kamara - 48 (62%)
  Alvin Kamara finished with 88 rushing yards on 15 carries (5.9 yards/carry), with a long of 37. He also scored from 11 yards out, while adding 2 catches for 9 yards on 3 targets.
• Michael Thomas - 47 (60%)
  Thomas was stellar on the day, hauling in 9 receptions on 11 targets for 105 yards. He had a long off 18, and was instrumental in helping the Saints move the sticks.
• Josh Hill - 42 (54%)
• Latavius Murray - 32 (41%)
  After an impressive outing against the Broncos, Murray didn't see his number called a lot, finishing with 5 carries for 17 yards. He had 2 catches on 2 targets that went for no yards. He's an important piece to what the Saints do offensively, and Payton complimented Atlanta's run front and how difficult they make some of the stuff you want to do.
• Jared Cook - 28 (36%)
  Cook needed a big rebound game, and while the stats weren't exactly eye-popping, he did finish with 3 catches for 28 yards and a score on 5 total targets.
• Adam Trautman - 27 (35%)
• Juwan Johnson - 20 (26%)
• Will Clapp - 16 (21%)
• Michael Burton - 14 (18%)
• Tommylee Lewis - 4 (5%)
  Lewis was the primary returner with Marquez Callaway and Deonte Harris out of action. He had a jet sweep for 16 yards, while being targeted on a Hill deep shot that fell incomplete. It appeared Lewis got tangled up in incidental contact.

Defense

• Malcolm Jenkins, Marshon Lattimore, Demario Davis, Marcus Williams - 67 (100%)
  Marcus Williams definitely stood out in this game, forcing some incompletions and coming up big at the end of the game. He finished with 7 total tackles (5 solo, 2 assisted) and a pass defense. Demario Davis led the way with 9 total tackles (5 solo, 4 assisted), having a QB hit and 2 tackles for loss. He made a huge play at the end of the game which saw Todd Gurley lose 7 yards on a Falcons' 3rd-and-2. Lattimore was decent on the day, making 4 total tackles and a pass defense. Had he wrapped him Calvin Ridley on the final drive, the game likely would have ended there.
• P.J. Williams - 63 (94%)
  Williams saw extensive work due to the Patrick Robinson injury. The Saints were already down Janoris Jenkins due to a knee injury. Williams drew Julio Jones a bit, and Jones got the better of him. Williams did have a fumble recovery and pass defense.
• Cam Jordan - 59 (88%)
  No sacks on Matt Ryan this time for Jordan, as he finished with 2 total tackles and a QB hit.
• C.J. Gardner-Johnson - 58 (87%)
  I have no idea what Ceedy Duce says to players that gets under their skin, but this guy is a mastermind. When Calvin Ridley doesn't even go for the ball on a Hail Mary play to end the game and tries to hit you, that says a lot. He only had a pass defense on Sunday, and also took a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty. It definitely got chippy between the two, which is hardly a surprise.
• David Onyemata - 48 (72%)
  Manitoba's finest finished with 4 total tackles (2 solo, 2 assisted), notching a sack in the process while having a tackle for loss and QB hit. Onyemata is seeing more double teams, but still finding a way. He's been one of the most underrated signings for the Saints this year.
• Trey Hendrickson - 46 (69%)
  Hendrickson added another sack to his career year, going up to 10.5 for the season. He finished with a tackle, 2 QB hits, and a tackle for loss. This man is going to get paid by someone.
• Sheldon Rankins - 45 (67%)
  Getting Rankins back proved to be important with Malcom Brown leaving early. He only had a tackle and QB hit, but just seeing him back on the field was a good thing.
• Shy Tuttle - 35 (52%)
• Kwon Alexander - 32 (48%)
  A lot of people were asking whether Alexander was hurt or not, and the answer is no. He was on the sideline, and it looked to be more of how Dennis Allen called the game. There were times where Allen had extra secondary help, which made sense, leaving Davis as the lone linebacker.
• D.J. Swearinger - 24 (36%)
• Carl Granderson - 20 (30%)
  Granderson had a huge sack/fumble on Matt Ryan that resulted in New Orleans taking over in Falcons territory. They couldn't put any points on the board from it, but at the time, it was a big play. With Davenport out, he did a pretty good job.
• Alex Anzalone, Zack Baun - 9 (13%)
  Anzalone and Baun saw some work on a few downs, primarily run formations. Anzalone finished with 3 tackles (2 solo, 1 assisted), while Baun nabbed 2 tackles (both assisted).
• Anthony Zettel - 8 (12%)
• Patrick Robinson - 6 (9%)
  Robinson's hamstring injury that landed him on the injury report Friday flared up and forced him out of action early. 
• Malcom Brown - 4 (6%)
  Brown left early with an undisclosed injury. He was getting treatment in the injury tent, came out and rejoined the sideline, but then appeared to not be able to play again. He then exited the field with trainers, favoring his left arm/shoulder area. We'll have to keep an eye on what happens there. That could be a big loss for New Orleans.
• Ken Crawley - 3 (4%)

Special Teams (Top Reps)

• J.T. Gray, Craig Robertson - 21
• Kaden Elliss, Dwayne Washington - 17
• Juwan Johnson - 13
• Ken Crawley - 12