Saints Snap Counts and Observations from Week 8

The Saints picked up a big win on the road after being powered by their offense executing in the red zone and on third down.

After beating the Colts 38-27 on the road, the Saints get back to .500 and are in a position to make things whatever they choose to do so as we approach the back half of the season. In short, the offense did what they needed to do and took care of business, which was certainly a breath of fresh air coming off the mini-bye. Here's a closer look at the snap counts from Week 8 with some observations and notes from the game.

Offense

The Saints offense had their third straight game of 400 yards or better, turning in 511 total net yards against the Colts (161 rushing, 350 passing) while holding the ball for 30:09. New Orleans turned in 3/4 (75%) in the red zone, although I wouldn't count that end of game sequence against them. They went 6/12 (50%) on 3rd Down and averaged 7.7 yards/play. The lone criticisms would be the pre-snap penalties and Carr losing the fumble on a strip-sack.

• Andrus Peat, Cesar Ruiz, Erik McCoy, Max Garcia, Ryan Ramczyk - 66 (100%)
  Overall, the offensive line is a mixed bag, although there are signs of improvement. They were able to run the ball well and the pass protection wasn't too bad. Peat got another start at left tackle, while Garcia played at left guard. The one sack given up came from the interior from what looked like pressure given up by McCoy. We'll keep tabs on James Hurst this week, as he could be back against the Bears.
• Derek Carr - 55 (83%)
  Carr finished the day going 19/27 for 310 yards and 2 touchdowns, giving him a 133.3 rating. He did lose a fumble on a strip-sack, but he definitely had a much better game. Clearly, whatever was said during the mini-bye did hit home in a lot of aspects, but as he said, they still missed some things. That one slant play to Michael Thomas would have been a first down, and that has to be tightened up.
• Chris Olave - 49 (74%)
  Olave finished with 5 catches for 46 yards on 9 targets. It wasn't a bad game from him, but two moments stuck out like a sore thumb. One was the play where he 'lost the ball in the lights' and the other was where he caught a pass near the sideline and went out of bounds instead of turning it upfield. Some were asking about the play in which he was not touched, but he gave himself up. He might be in a little slump, but I have confidence that he'll pull himself out of it.
• Foster Moreau - 46 (70%)
  No targets for Moreau on the day, but he was doing plenty of the dirty work in the trenches. 
• Michael Thomas - 44 (67%)
  Thomas caught 4 catches for 68 yards on 7 targets to finish right behind Shaheed on the day. He had a long of 31 and continues to put in a solid campaign this season, although it's been relatively quiet.
• Juwan Johnson - 40 (61%)
  Johnson saw just two targets in his return, catching a pass for 5 yards that moved the sticks. The miss was down the seam in the end zone, and he almost was able to come up with it. It was just good to see the Saints try the middle of the field with him.
• Alvin Kamara - 38 (58%)
  Putting one of your best skill players in a position to succeed and relying on him to do what needs to be done works. He finished with 17 carries for 59 yards (long of 16) and a score on the ground while adding 4 catches for 51 yards (long of 25) and a score in the receiving department. Get him going and good things happen.
• Taysom Hill - 29 (44%)
  Hill was arguably the best player on the field against the Colts, as he did it all again. He had 9 carries for 63 yards with two touchdowns, including a long run of 20 yards. He connected with Shaheed for a 44-yard hookup and also caught a pass for 14 yards. As Kamara said after the game, he's the equivalent of the 'tush push'. You know what's coming when he's in and it's hard to stop. It's incredible how successful the Saints are with him in the lineup, but it's not always something they use.
• Lynn Bowden - 24 (36%)
  Not having Keith Kirkwood in the lineup shows even more confidence in the blocking ability of Bowden. It almost seems automatic that the team runs when he's in the lineup, but they also went against that tendency at times. We'll see if this trend continues, but he surely can do the dirty work that tends to get overlooked.
• Rashid Shaheed - 18 (27%)
  Speed Shaheed did his best Randy Moss impression to finish with 3 catches for 153 yards and a score. The Saints took advantage of a special teams corner getting the start for the Colts. He had a long of 58 yards and his element in the offense is reminiscent of Devery Henderson.
• Jamaal Williams - 15 (23%)
  Williams had 6 carries for 30 yards (long of 7) and a catch for 8 yards. Last week, we were told that he was on a pitch count coming back from his injury, but this week proved that he can be effective in needed situations. This triple-headed attack of Kamara-Hill-Williams has more potential.
• Landon Young - 13 (20%)
  Young was the main jumbo guy for the offense. That trend will likely continue.
• Kendre Miller - 9 (14%)
  Miller didn't get a ton of touches, but had more impact than the previous week with the shoulder injury. He had a lone target and catch for 9 yards and 3 carries for 10 yards on the ground (long of 7).
• A.T. Perry - 8 (12%)
  Perry got his first action of the season, but was mostly a run blocker. The only rookie we haven't seen active in a game this year is Jake Haener now.
• Khalen Saunders - 5 (8%)
  I don't think anything excites me more than seeing someone like Saunders on offense in those goal-to-go situations. He had some moments of just flat out knocking defenders on their rear end. At some point, give him the ball and let him score. The 'Bink Packages' need to keep going.
• Trevor Penning - 3 (5%)

Defense

Oct 29, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo (29) intercepts a ball meant for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

The first half wasn't too much to write home about, as New Orleans had some real struggles in their third consecutive game. However, they did put a better showing out on the field for the final 30 minutes. Indianapolis went 7/16 on 3rd Down while totaling 371 yards on offense (164 rushing, 207 passing). Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss had two big runs against them (42 and 41 yards), and those big plays on the ground just can't happen. Overall, the Saints defense played a strong game and showed up when it counted the most while getting support from the offense this time around.

• Jordan Howden, Paulson Adebo, Demario Davis - 71 (100%)
  Howden stepped in for Marcus Maye, who was active but was clearly not going to be playing in this game. The rookie did a pretty solid job overall, notching 8 total tackles (4 solo, 4 assisted) and a pass defense. One thing I can tell you on Howden is that he's extremely critical of his performance and wants to get better. Adebo had 3 solo tackles, a pick, and 3 pass defenses on the day. His interception return was also a good one. He's been playing at a strong level for quite some time, and it's refreshing to see it. Lastly, Davis being in for all defensive snaps after seeing his work scaled back some due to the injury is a great sight. He led the way with 12 total tackles (6 solo, 6 assisted), a QB hit, and pass defense. This team needs their leader at all times, to say the least.
• Tyrann Mathieu - 70 (99%)
• Marshon Lattimore - 69 (97%)
  Lattimore had 9 solo tackles on the day with a tackle for loss and pass defense. He was frequently targeted in the first half, and that holding/pass interference call on the same play was a tough one. If you're into grading, PFF had him at 51.4 on the day. Don't let one game fool you, Lattimore is still playing strong.
• Alontae Taylor - 67 (94%)
  This looked like one of the more comfortable games for Taylor in the slot. He finished with just 3 total tackles (2 solo, 1 assisted), but again, he looks like he's playing with the confidence last he did last year on the outside.
• Pete Werner - 60 (85%)
• Carl Granderson, Cam Jordan - 58 (82%)
  Granderson continues to play at a really high level, and he was credited with a full sack from the game. His run defense and explosiveness is on full display to go along with his pass-rush skills. The best part is that he knows he can be better. He had a brief scare coming off the field due to injury, but returned. As for Jordan, not too much on the stat sheet with 4 total tackles (2 solo, 2 assisted).
• Bryan Bresee - 36 (51%)
  Bresee had 2 pass breakups on the day with 2 total tackles (1 solo, 1 assisted).
• Nathan Shepherd - 35 (49%)
  Shepherd got his second sack of the year, which ties him for second on the team behind Granderson. The Saints interior has been a lot better than they were in recent years, but I still think they have another gear or two they can hit.
• Khalen Saunders - 29 (41%)
• Tanoh Kpassagnon - 26 (37%)
  The Saints would have had a scoop and score with Kpassagnon had it not been reversed. That play was close, but unfortunately it didn't go New Orleans' way.
• Malcolm Roach - 24 (34%)
• Lonnie Johnson - 19 (27%)
  Johnson was the extra back in dime situations with Howden getting the start.
• Isaiah Foskey - 10 (14%)
  Foskey had a nice pressure on Gardner Minshew that led to a strip-sack on first look, but it was later reversed. It was good to see the rookie have that kind of rush, although he's fortunate he didn't get called for a face mask penalty.
• Ugo Amadi - 3 (4%)
• Zack Baun, Isaac Yiadom - 2 (3%)

Special Teams (Top Reps)

• Zack Baun, J.T. Gray, D'Marco Jackson - 28
• Isaac Yiadom - 27
• Lonnie Johnson - 25
• Isaiah Foskey, Nephi Sewell - 22
• Ty Summers - 21