Saints Snap Counts and Observations from Week 6

A closer look at the Saints snap counts from their crushing loss to the Texans with some observations and notes from the game.

Sunday's meltdown against the Texans is just the latest development in a disappointing string of winnable games for the Saints. New Orleans overcame a porous first half defensively to give themselves opportunities in the final two quarters, but the four final drives produced a whopping three points. Here's a closer look at the snap counts with some observations from the game.

Offense

Oct. 15, 2023; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed scores a 34-yard touchdown in the first quarter of the Saints vs. Texans game at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX; Credit: Kyle A. Mosley, Saints News Network

Well, we can say that last week's offense wasn't the real offense for the Saints. The statistics from their outing would suggest that New Orleans had a good game on paper, finishing with 430 total net yards (89 rushing, 341 passing), but their red zone inefficiency was utterly disappointing. After a rough first half, they came back to win the time of possession battle 31:33-28:27. They went 6/15 on 3rd Down. To say the least, just one bit of execution in the red zone would have went a long way. At the end of the game, I really don't know what those play calls were taking four straight shots to the end zone.

• Cesar Ruiz, Erik McCoy, Max Garcia - 82 (100%)
  The Saints offensive line surrendered two sacks on the day, and now there's a lot of concern moving forward. Garcia started in place of Andrus Peat, who was the emergency offensive lineman with his groin injury. Things got so bad that Cesar Ruiz ended up shifting to right tackle at the end of the game.
• Derek Carr - 79 (96%)
  Carr finished 32-of-50 (64%) for 353 yards, turning in a 83.2 rating with a touchdown and a pick. The pick came on the final play, and you could see how frustrated he was coming off the field. Everyone has to be better, and after six games in, we're not really seeing it all come together consistently just yet.
• Chris Olave - 72 (88%)
  Olave returned to form somewhat, leading the way with 7 catches for 96 yards on 10 targets. It was a much better outing for him and was needed in the worst way, There were some plays where he wasn't on the same page with Carr, and he also had a play where he appeared to come up hobbled, so we'll have to keep an eye on that.
• Ryan Ramczyk, Michael Thomas - 68 (83%)
  Ramczyk is dealing with a concussion, so his status is very much in doubt on the short week. Thomas hauled in 45 yards on his 5 catches, including a long of 16. He targeted 8 times. He's done a pretty good job this season, but they need to get him going more.
• Alvin Kamara - 66 (80%)
  This was another Kamara game, and he finished with 68 yards on the ground in his 19 carries (3.6 yards/carry) while catching 7 of his 8 targets for 36 yards. He said a lot of good things following the game, preaching the need for sacrifice and echoing what Demario Davis said afterwards. He's tired of losing, and it's not hard to see that.
• Trevor Penning - 64 (78%)
  After being benched, Penning came into the game in relief of James Hurst. One of the plays that epitomized the struggles was when he got beat in pass protection and then got a tripping call. While he took the conversation well from what Dennis Allen said, he's going to be back in the lineup this week.
• Rashid Shaheed - 62 (76%)
  Shaheed had 2 carries for 18 yards and hauled in 2 catches for 85 yards, making an outstanding catch on the 51-yard hookup. His other was a touchdown catch. He was a frequent target on the day with 6 total, and there were some plays where he was absolutely not on the same page with Carr. That's got to get fixed.
• Taysom Hill - 49 (60%)
  Hill had never caught more than 3 passes in his career coming into the game, and he finished with 7 receptions on 8 targets for 49 yards. He completed a pass for 4 yards, which was a little high, and then only had one carry for 2 yards.
• Foster Moreau - 39 (48%)
  Moreau had his most active game with the Saints, hauling in all 4 targets for 33 yards. He went into the medical tent briefly, but was able to come back to play. It won't be surprising to see him on the injury report for the short week.
• James Hurst, Kendre Miller - 18 (22%)
  Hurst avoided a major injury to his ankle, but he's going to miss some time it would appear. As for Miller, he was virtually a non-factor in this game, which was a little disappointing following what he did against the Patriots. His main contribution was a catch for 13 yards.
• Keith Kirkwood - 15 (18%)
• Nick Saldiveri, Jimmy Graham - 14 (17%)
  Saldiveri came in and played right guard due to all the injuries. You just never know when your number is going to be called, so he's going to have to be ready to go on a short week in some form or fashion. As for Graham, it's very shocking not seeing him used overall, particularly more in red zone situations. He was blanked on the stat sheet yet again.
• Lynn Bowden Jr. - 9 (11%)
• J.P. Holtz - 1 (1%)

Defense

There's really no way else to put this, but the Saints defense was horrible in the first half. However, it was a different story in the second half. They were gashed in both the running and passing game, with Devin Singletary and Dameon Pierce finding success, as well as C.J. Stroud connecting with several receivers. They finished out surrendering 297 total net yards (120 rushing, 177 passing) while going 4/11 on 3rd Down. They managed to get two sacks on Stroud and pick him off for the first time, but Allen also called them out for not getting off their blocks and really not looking like they should. The inconsistency is concerning, but it was good to see that they can make the second half adjustments.

• Demario Davis, Marcus Maye, Tyrann Mathieu - 63 (100%)
  Davis led the way with 7 total tackles (4 solo, 3 assisted), notching a sack, 2 QB hits, 2 tackles for loss and a pass defense. He was easily one of the best on the field, and he gave a speech after the game that hopefully resonates with the rest of the team. Maye's return to the lineup didn't yield too much, while Mathieu made a really good play in the end zone to shut the Texans out.
• Pete Werner - 61 (97%)
  Werner finished with 6 total tackles (4 solo, 2 assisted), tied with two others behind Davis.
• Paulson Adebo - 59 (94%)
  Adebo's flag for pass interference was a pretty rough one. They didn't target him a ton on the day.
• Cam Jordan - 55 (87%)
• Marshon Lattimore - 54 (86%)
  Lattimore had 6 solo tackles and a pass breakup.
• Carl Granderson - 50 (79%)
  Granderson had another strong game overall, finishing with 6 tackles (3 solo, 3 assisted), a big sack, a QB hit, and 2 tackles for loss. 
• Alontae Taylor, Nathan Shepherd - 38 (60%)
• Khalen Saunders - 35 (56%)
  Saunders had a roughing the passer call on the same play that Adebo got a pass interference call. He said after the game that the Super Bowl teams he was on had hit some struggles, and said the Saints will be just fine. Let's hope he's right.
• Bryan Bresee - 29 (46%)
• Malcolm Roach - 24 (38%)
• Zack Baun - 21 (33%)
  The epitome of how the Saints story goes is with Baun's pick. He had a huge momentum swing making the play, but fumbled on the return to give the Texans back the ball. It wasn't solely his fault for a loss, but that type of play is just a mood killer.
• Tanoh Kpassagnon - 20 (32%)
• Jordan Howden - 8 (13%)
• Daniel Sorensen, Isaiah Foskey, Isaac Yiadom - 4 (6%)

Special Teams (Top Reps)

The Saints had opportunities to put points up on the board with Blake Grupe twice, but each failed to deliver. It's understandable and not as big of a deal to miss when it's from 50 yards or more, but the one inside the 30 was a total whiff. Grupe just missed and it's not really okay. Hindsight is always 20/20, and if he makes those the Saints might be a winner in this game. It has to be better, and it's not just on him. Rashid Shaheed had some questionable decisions in the return game, and that has to be cleaned up.

• Zack Baun, D'Marco Jackson - 21
• Daniel Sorensen - 18
• Isaiah Foskey, Nephi Sewell, Ty Summers - 17
• Jordan Howden - 16