Young, Olave lead Week 7 Pro Football Focus grades

By Ross Jackson

Pro Football Focus has released their grades for the New Orleans Saints’ loss to the Chicago Bears. Among them, defensive end Chase Young and wide receiver Chris Olave lead the way. Each was looking to capture strong performances for different reasons and succeeded in doing just that. 

Meanwhile, the Saints’ defensive front found spots across the bottom five after surrendering a big rushing day to the Bears. 

Top-5

DE Chase Young – 86.1

WR Chris Olave – 80.8

LT Kelvin Banks Jr. – 76.2

CB Kool-Aid McKinstry – 74.7

CB Quincy Riley – 73.9

Young’s second game back from his calf injury was another strong showing for the defensive end. He started early, knocking down a pair of passes in the flats headed in his direction. Later in the game, he and defensive tackle Bryan Bresee combined for a sack, Young’s first of the season. New Orleans will need a game-wrecker as their future shapes up, and Young would be the perfect player to step into that kind of impact role. 

Olave was looking for a response game following a highly-criticized week last week. He did exactly that. With 98 receiving yards for the second week in a row, Olave also put up a pair of touchdowns, the only points the Saints would score in the game. It was a statement game for Olave, who confirmed that he and the Saints have been in contract extension talks for some time after the game. 

Banks performed well, allowing just two pressures on 39 pass blocking snaps. He’s had a solid three week run in pass protection. The rookie continues to impress. 

Cornerbacks McKinstry and Riley both had bounce back games following a rough outing against the New England Patriots last week. They duo was targeted 10 times, allowing just five catches combined for 57 passing yards. Each was credited with a pass breakup while Riley snagged his first career interception. 

Bottom-5

DE Carl Granderson – 39.3

LB Pete Werner – 44.2

WR Brandin Cooks – 48.6

RB Alvin Kamara – 50.2

DT Davon Godchaux – 51.1

Granderson, Werner and Godchaux each ranked within the bottom five of run defense as well. The team gave up 222 rushing yards and missed a total of eight tackles with Granderson and Werner combining for half of those. The poor tackling effort dropped their grades dramatically. 

Cooks and Kamara weren’t able to get going in terms of yardage, and former Saints head coach Dennis Allen took advantage of Kamara’s pass blocking struggles throughout the day. The running back was credited with allowing two of Chicago’s four sacks on the day.