By Ross Jackson
Much like 2023, the New Orleans Saints suffered a big blow to their playoff hopes by the hands of the Los Angeles Rams. Following a 21-14 loss to Los Angeles, the Saints are left reeling not only because of the loss, but another major injury to a key weapon. From shoddy run defense to pass protection, here are the numbers you need to know about Sunday’s loss to the Rams.
0 – This was only the second game of the Saints’ season in which they nor their opponent registered a single turnover. Despite no turnovers for New Orleans, two pressures that forced the ball out of quarterback Derek Carr’s hands for an incomplete pass took place on critical downs.
This game was also the first time that Rams head coach Sean McVay was shutout in the first half of a regular season game.
3.4 – With the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos still left to play in Week 13, the Saints have recorded the second-lowest Next Gen Stats “run stuff percentage” so far. New Orleans stopped a run for no gain or a loss on just 3.4% of its run defense snaps.
5 – Carr threw for just 5.0 yards per attempt against the Rams defense, his lowest of the season.
7 – Tight ends again led the way for New Orleans in the passing game. Both tight ends, Taysom Hill and Juwan Johnson, received a team-high seven targets in this game. Hill led all Saints receivers with 37 receiving yards, Johnson tied for second with wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling with 36.
25.6 – Carr was under pressure on just 25.6% of his dropbacks Sunday, but one of those snaps ended up being the most crucial points in the game when a fourth and two pressure caused an incomplete pass to seal the game.
50 – Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford used play action on 50% of his dropbacks against the Saints, the highest single-game rate of the Next Gen Stats era. He threw both of his touchdowns on play action passes. Meanwhile, Carr only saw play action on 17.9% of his dropbacks, the lowest play action rate for the quarterback since Week 5.
55.2 – The Saints stacked the box 55.2% of the time on run plays against the Rams, the third-highest mark among all teams in Week 13 with Monday Night Football pending. Despite that, New Orleans allowed the fourth-highest EPA per rushing play of the week so far.
91 – Saints running back Alvin Kamara totaled 91 yards after contact in the run game, his second-most this season. He also tied a season high with four 10+ yard rushes, a mark he set against the Dallas Cowboys in their Week 2 matchup.
106 – Kamara is just 106 rushing yards shy of his first 1,000-yard rushing season. He will be facing the New York Giants No. 29 ranked run defense next week.
324 – Saints do-it-all tight end Tayson Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury. Hill played a massive role in the Saints’ success because of his 324 snaps over several different roles and responsibilities including but not limited to tight end, running back, fullback, slot receiver, wide receiver, personal protector, punt returner, punt rush, blocker on return units, kickoff return and quarterback. His injury was an unfortunate cap on an already tough game result.
