Motion, Play-Action Spark New Saints Offense

By Ross Jackson

The criticisms of the New Orleans Saints throughout the 2023 NFL season were consistent. Arguments that the team lacked the elements of an explosive and dynamic offense were plentiful. Going into 2024, the team made decisions that they hoped would address the offensive shortcomings of last year. After Week 1, it looks like the moves paid off.

Many have been critical of the fact that the team’s first big win of the year came against the Carolina Panthers. But that is a team with which the Saints split games last year and that was one of the biggest spenders in free agency over the offseason. Nonetheless, caution around maintaining some level of momentum after a 47-10 blowout opener makes sense. 

Regardless of how one might feel about the competition level, examining the Saints’ independent improvements provides some promising changes. 

Two elements most often related to explosive offenses are motion and play action. In both cases, New Orleans saw impressive leaps from 2023 to their 2024 debut. 

Last year, only 14.8% of quarterback Derek Carr’s dropbacks included play action. Against the Panthers to open 2024, that number leapt to 40%, a massive jump from 2023. 

Not only did the team incorporate more play action, but Carr was effective while running it. He completed 7-of-9 play action attempts for 58 passing yards, a touchdown pass and a 130.6 NFL passer rating. He also scrambled on another play action dropback, and his passes led to four first downs. 

As for motion, the Saints ranked as one of the teams using the lowest percentage of motion last year. ESPN Seth Walker ranked every team in motion at the snap in 2023 and also shared their percentage of general motion used. In his rankings, the Saints were ahead of just the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 with just 33.6% of snaps including motion. 

That number leapt considerably to open the 2024 year. In fact, per Pro Football Focus, the Saints saw the NFL’s largest increase in motion last week–a 38.2% spike from 33.6% to over 71%. 

The Saints are using a lot more motion and a lot more play action. Both factors are proven to lead to greater offensive output. Regardless of the level of competition they faced, these are changes that are fundamental to the team’s DNA and therefore potential success on the offensive side of the football. Add in what was a much more effective run game (which totaled 180 rushing yards and averaged 4.9 yards per carry against Carolina), and it is clear that there are some things to feel optimistic about as their competition gets much more challenging over the next few weeks.