Saints Snap Counts and Observations from Week 18

Although the Saints ultimately came up short on the playoffs, they had a formidable showing against the Falcons to close out their season.

While the Saints season was obviously full of disappointment for the end result, the team did finish on a high note with their 48-17 thrashing of the Falcons. New Orleans ended up missing the playoffs after the late games played out, and they'll end up drafting 14th overall in late April. Here's a look at the final snap counts of the season from Week 18 with some observations and notes from the game.

Offense

Jan 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (25) reacts to m aligns. First down against Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (3) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Jan 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (25) reacts to m aligns. First down against Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (3) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The Saints offense put together their best game of the season, finishing with 400 total net yards (154 rushing, 246 passing). They went 3/10 (30%) on 3rd Down, which was one of the lone criticisms, but converted their lone 4th Down attempt and finished 4/6 (67%) in the Red Zone. They held the ball for 33:50 and gained 27 first downs while also playing fairly disciplined with just 3 penalties for 15 yards. The most encouraging part of the performance was the ability to run the ball and achieve success without several key players in the mix.

• Cesar Ruiz, Erik McCoy, James Hurst, Cameron Erving - 67 (100%)
  The Saints offensive line did a pretty good job overall, with Derek Carr being sacked twice. The run game was probably the most encouraging thing for the unit. They still have to be better in a lot of areas next season, but it was certainly a good showing overall from a pretty strong front seven.
• Andrus Peat - 63 (94%)
  Peat missed a couple of plays due to injury and was evaluated in the medical tent, but tested things out and was able to get back on the field. For as much negative things that are being brought up right now, Peat ended up missing just one game this season. His market will be very interesting.
• Derek Carr - 59 (88%)
  Carr finished 22/28 for 264 yards and four touchdown passes en route to a 145.5 rating. It was the seventh time he had four touchdown throws, which ties his career high. Carr was easily one of the best quarterbacks down the stretch in the NFL, finishing his regular season campaign just about where he was expected to. Some of his throws were on the money and the best he's made all year.
• Chris Olave - 49 (73%)
  The touchdown grab by Olave was just sick, and there's no other way to put it. That showed great concentration and effort on his part, as he finished the day with 56 yards on three catches. He posted better numbers than his rookie season and really shed off that slump he got into in a big way.
• Rashid Shaheed - 45 (67%)
  Shaheed had a big touchdown to help put the Saints up 31-17 when they dialed up his number on a deep ball. He led the way in the receiving yardage department, hauling in three catches for 65 yards on four targets. As always, he provided some major boost in the return game too.
• A.T. Perry - 43 (64%)
  Perry got into the end zone twice to finish with 53 yards on three receptions. We've talked all year about how much the Saints like him, and he should be a big part of the offensive plan next season.
• Foster Moreau - 40 (60%)
• Jamaal Williams - 33 (49%)
  Williams got into the end zone for the first time all season after finishing with 17 the year before. His teammates wanted it bad for him because of all of the hard work he's put in all year. It hasn't been the best campaign for the free agent acquisition, but there's no denying how much of an impact he makes on the team.
• Juwan Johnson - 31 (46%)
  Johnson didn't have the game he did against the Bucs, but still caught all three of his targets for 40 yards, which included a long of 20 and a key fourth down conversion.
• Taysom Hill - 28 (42%)
  Hill was a lot more involved in the run game, as expected. He had 6 carries for 51 yards (8.5 yards/carry), which included a long of 27. He caught all four of his targets for 28 yards as well. 
• Kendre Miller - 24 (36%)
  Miller looked fantastic and that's the player we saw early on in the year and knew what he was capable of. Unfortunately, injuries really negated us from seeing it all year. However, he finished with 13 carries for 73 yards (5.6 yards/carry) and got into the end zone on a play where he shouldn't have based on the Falcons run defense. His ability to cut and juke is what stood out a lot there, and if New Orleans can get more from him in 2024, they might just not have a horrendous run attack.
• Lynn Bowden - 20 (30%)
• Max Garcia - 12 (18%)
• Adam Prentice - 10 (15%)
• Jimmy Graham - 7 (10%)
  Graham got a nice ovation from the Superdome when he went in on plays. Unfortunately, he didn't register anything on the stat sheet. His future is uncertain right now, as there's been no official conversations with the front office yet. However, it might have been his last time playing.
• Jordan Mims - 3 (4%)
• Tommy Kraemer, Jameis Winston - 1 (1%)
  Teammates have rallied around Jameis Winston regarding the final play. That's probably what you need to know. I think the only problem with it is running it out of victory formation. Dennis Allen and the team handled it and the fact that this one play became the bigger storyline as opposed to the giant win was quite a shame.

Defense

Jan 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive end Payton Turner (98) reacts to recovering a fumble against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The Saints defense didn't have things together at all through the first two series, showing some major busted coverage that led to two Falcons touchdowns in the first quarter. However, they did end up rebounding and stopped making Desmond Ridder look like Tom Brady. They surrendered 389 total net yards (78 rushing, 311 passing) while going 4/11 on 3rd Down (36.3%) and going 1/3 (33%) in the Red Zone. The run defense was quite the opposite result from what happened in Week 12. The defense also had a big goal-line stand that resulted in a turnover on downs, and ended up getting three turnovers on the day and one sack. 

• Johnathan Abram, Tyrann Mathieu - 61 (100%)
  Abram tied with Demario Davis for the tackle lead on the day with 9 tackles (4 solo, 5 assisted). He had one play where he was able to cut down Desmond Ridder on the outside that was just textbook. His future will be interesting. Tyrann Mathieu was just a yard shy of a big pick-six. He also had a pass breakup and 3 total tackles.
• Paulson Adebo - 58 (95%)
  Adebo tied for third on the day with 7 total tackles (4 solo, 3 assisted) and had a pass defense. He actually finished out third in the NFL with 18 pass breakups this season.
• Demario Davis - 54 (89%)
  Davis led the way for the Saints defense, finishing with 9 total tackles (5 solo, 4 assisted) with two tackles for loss. 
• Ugo Amadi - 44 (72%)
  Amadi saw a lot more action in this game due to injury and also with Alontae Taylor getting stuff on the bench early on. He finished with 7 total tackles (2 solo, 5 assisted).
• Alontae Taylor - 42 (69%)
  Taylor rebounded in a big way after some early game struggles, getting his second career interception which helped turn the tide on the game some. He and Isaac Yiadom finished in the Top-10 of pass defenses in the league, tying for 9th with 14 total. Joe Woods and Marcus Robertson made a huge impact on the secondary this year.
• Carl Granderson, Nathan Shepherd - 38 (62%)
  Shepherd had the lone sack on the day and closed out the season on a good note to finish with a career-high 3.5 sacks. Granderson made a tremendous tackle for loss in the goal-line stand and also had a QB hit to go along with his 4 total tackles.
• Pete Werner - 37 (61%)
• Bryan Bresee - 35 (57%)
• Tanoh Kpassagnon - 32 (52%)
• Cam Jordan - 30 (49%)
  Jordan finally had a healthy game, as he disclosed to us on Monday that he had been dealing with a variety of injuries that limited him this season.
• Zack Baun, Jordan Howden - 26 (43%)
• Isaac Yiadom - 22 (36%)
  Yiadom left the game with a concussion, but was in the locker room on Monday. He's one of the free agents that might earn a bigger payday in the offseason.
• Khalen Saunders - 21 (34%)
• Payton Turner - 18 (30%)
  Turner's return to action for the first time since the regular season opener saw him recover a fumble deep in Falcons territory after a botched shotgun snap. He also registered two QB hits on the day. He'll be an important part of the defensive equation next season.
• D'Marco Jackson, Isaiah Foskey, Shemar Jean-Charles, P.J. Mustipher - 7 (11%) 

Special Teams (Top Reps)

Both Blake Grupe and Lou Hedley closed things out on a high note for New Orleans. Grupe ended up finishing tied for 8th in the NFL in scoring with 130 points. The decision to go with both of the undrafted rookies was a little tough to stomach early on, but it proved to be a smart move.

• Zack Baun, D'Marco Jackson, J.T. Gray - 24
• Isaiah Foskey, Ty Summers - 21
• Jordan Howden - 20