By Ross Jackson
The New Orleans Saints were not able to extend new interim head coach Darren Rizzi’s start at head coach to 3-0 on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, and unfortunately there were a number of reasons for that. Pro Football Focus’s grades look to reflect those reasons. The team’s run defense struggled to hold up, and the offense missed opportunities early to open up a big lead that would have added them on both sides of the ball. Despite the negatives that can easily be highlighted, one young wide receiver continues to prove his value after seeing increased opportunities over the last three weeks.
Here are the top and bottom Pro Football Focus grades from Sunday’s loss to the Rams.
Top-5
QB Derek Carr – 73.6
WR Kevin Austin Jr. – 72.7
DE Carl Granderson – 71.5
LT Taliese Fuaga – 66.5
S Jordan Howden – 65.5
Carr completed 64.9 percent of his passes in this game with at least one turnover worthy throw that slipped through the hands of one Rams defender in the middle of the field. While he was not sacked, he was met behind the line of scrimmage on two key plays, including one that sealed the game, as he threw. A lot of fans have been pointing the finger at Carr for the team’s loss, but protection and pass-catcher separation have come into focus as well. The truth is that a lot did not go well for the Saints and blaming any one situation is mostly fruitless in this one. Carr himself said that he could have done more. His 73.6 grade, despite being the highest on the team, certainly echoes that room for improvement from the starting quarterback.
Austin has been elevated three consecutive weeks as the team deals with major injuries in the wide receiver room, and each week he has made his presence felt. He’s not been in the end zone yet nor has he had a big, breakout performance. But his contributions as a pass-catcher, rusher and run blocker have not gone unnoticed. The team is expecting to get rookie wide receiver Bub Means back soon, but it would make a lot of sense for Austin to find his way to the active roster as well. With all three of his standard elevations used, that’s the only way the Saints will be able to continue to get him on the field. He’s proven he deserves that shot.
Granderson’s two pressures generated on defense tied the team high on Sunday. Both pressures resulted in hits on Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. That earned a solid pass rushing mark from the graders. He was also one of the few defensive linemen, along with fellow edge defender Cameron Jordan, to grade above 60 in run defense.
The Saints got it right with Fuaga in the first round of this year’s draft. The rookie again faced and bested one of the top edge rusher talents in Rams defensive end Jared Verse. He was flagged for one penalty, an ineligible man downfield call, which wiped a receiving touchdown off the board for running back Alvin Kamara. That flag dropped his grade despite good performances in both pass and run protection. Fuaga allowed no pressures in this game.
Howden got to see more action this week after starting safety Tyrann Mathieu left the game with a shoulder injury and did not return. He was credited with 16 coverage snaps without seeing a single target go his way.
Bottom-5
DT Nathan Shepherd – 42.2
CB Alontae Taylor – 40.5
C Shane Lemieux – 38.6
DE Payton Turner – 28.5
DT John Ridgeway III – 28.4
The majority of the struggles in this game came down to the trenches, exactly where we expected the team would struggle. Backup offensive lineman Shane Lemieux graded out low with heavy dings for pass protection. Both Lemieux and left guard Nick Saldiveri (who suffered a knee injury that will cause extended time missed, Rizzi said at his day-after presser) struggles specifically in true passing sets. Those are sets wherein the quarterback drops back without play action and without moving the pocket. Such plays are common on third down passing attempts. The Saints were just 3-for-11 on third downs.
Run defense was a major issue for New Orleans, particularly on the interior. Seeing two interior defenders dinged dramatically from PFF is no surprise here. Turner joined Ridgeway and Shepherd with the lowest run defense grades in the contest.
Taylor was credited as the closest defender (which is not the same as being the primary coverage assignment) on three receptions for 56 receiving yards. He did not record a forced incompletion and was whistled for a key penalty that gave the Rams a fresh set of downs inside the 10 yard line and led to a Los Angeles touchdown. Rizzi made mention that he did not receive a good explanation on that penalty and that there was belief the receiver had stepped out of bounds. But ultimately the penalty was called and upheld, which dropped Taylor’s grade a bit more.
