Behind the Numbers: Week 4 Saints Offense Snap Counts and Top Players

A closer look at the snap counts for the Saints offense with some observations from the game.

Sep 29, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill (7) breaks tackles to score a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Saints are back to the drawing board after another disappointing finish, crashing back down to a harsh reality after the hot start. New Orleans could have and should have won on Sunday, yet again, but they just can't seem to help but beat themselves. That's just how football goes sometimes, and they're going through it right now. Here's a closer look at the offense's Week 4 snap counts with some stats and notes from the game.

Breakthrough or Bust: The Saints' Fight Against Their Problematic Losing Cycle

Saints Offensive Snap Counts - Week 4

Sep 29, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) reacts after scoring a touchdown past Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss (55) during the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Saints offense finished out with 366 total net yards of offense (131 rushing, 235 passing), averaging 5.2 yards/play. New Orleans went 7/13 (53.8%) on 3rd Down and held the ball for 35:42. They finished 3/4 (75%) in the Red Zone and 1/2 (50%) in Goal-to-Go. They looked much better from last week, but also some of the play calls left you scratching your head. They put the team in a position to win again, all things considered.

• Lucas Patrick, Landon Young, Taliese Fuaga, Trevor Penning, Shane Lemieux - 74 (100%) Carr was just sacked one time for a loss of 4 yards, and he the patched up offensive line actually did better than most thought. They at least showed that the capability is there, and I thought Lemieux did a pretty good job at center replacing Erik McCoy.
• Derek Carr - 73 (99%) Carr finished 28/36 for 239 yards and a pick to finish with a 82.8 rating. The interception was a fluke of sorts, but it should have went into the dirt. That's something he and Dennis Allen discussed following the play. He made some really good throws, but the pick six (whether you see it as his fault or not) is what hurt the most.
• Alvin Kamara - 61 (82%) Kamara was arguably the best player on the field, and he played hurt. I thought the Saints would scale back his touches from the previous week, but he ended up finishing with 27 of them. Kamara had 77 rushing yards on 19 carries and the then go-ahead score and added 7 catches for 42 yards on 9 targets. His post-game interview was quite interesting, to say the least. This team needs to find a way to win.
• Chris Olave - 58 (78%) Olave also played hurt, dealing with a hamstring that he suffered in Friday's practice. He played strong, finishing with 8 catches for 87 yards on 10 targets including a long of 18. The best thing to appreciate about his performance is how many times he came up clutch to help the offense move the sticks. He's playing well.
• Rashid Shaheed - 57 (77%) Yes, the special teams blunder is what's going to be remembered in this game, and no one is quite sure what the thought process was. Shaheed finished with 8 catches for 83 yards on 11 targets, including a long of 25. He was the target on the 4th Down call in the end zone, but was unable to come up with the one-hander.
• Juwan Johnson - 50 (68%) Johnson ended up catching 2 of his 3 targets for 13 yards. He had a big reception called back due to a Trevor Penning holding penalty. The tight ends just aren't being much of a factor in the passing game, whether that's by design or just how the game is playing out.
• Foster Moreau - 42 (57%)
• Mason Tipton - 29 (39%) Tipton was targeted just once on the day and secured that catch for 6 yards. Olave's health could have played into some of why Tipton see much action in terms of the passing game.
• Adam Prentice - 24 (32%)
• Taysom Hill - 15 (20%) Hill left with what was called an abdomen injury at first and then later revealed that it's ribs on the other side of his previous injury. He was looking great early on, getting 24 yards on 6 carries and 2 touchdowns in the process. It's just been a season of injuries for New Orleans, and we're just four weeks into it.
• Cedrick Wilson Jr. - 14 (19%)
• Jamaal Williams - 11 (15%) Williams is just getting a handful of looks each week, and he finished out with 3 carries for 11 yards and caught both of his targets for 8 yards. Kendre Miller's return might dip into it even more.
• Bub Means - 6 (8%)
• Oli Udoh - 4 (5%)

Week 4 - Offensive Three Stars

Sep 29, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) catches a pass against the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

1. Alvin Kamara
2. Chris Olave
3. Taysom Hill