Saints
QB Drew Brees
Yet another record has fallen to #9. Drew Brees continues to add to the resume for what has become a hall of career, one of which that is far from over. This time, he put his name in the record books for 48 consecutive games (and counting) with a touchdown pass. He replaced Johnny Unitas, who set the record in 1960. Other than the record, Drew was efficient, completing 29/45 passes and eclipsing 300 yards passing yet again. He accounted for all four of the Saints’ touchdowns on the night, getting them through the air.
WR Marques Colston
Also making his second consecutive appearance on this list, Colston put up a record breaking performance himself. He caught his 50th, 51st, and 52nd touchdown passes of his career, passing Joe Horn for the most in Saints history. He grabbed 9 balls for 131 yards to go along with those 3 touchdowns. Colston has looked incredibly healthy during the past two weeks, showing he is over the early season foot injury he sustained. He’s also proving to his teammates, coaches, management, and fans, that he was well worth the money they spent to keep him in black and gold this off-season.
Pass Rush
It’s hard to single out one player or position to praise the pass rush, because they were coming from everywhere. Five sacks and 6 QB hits kept Rivers off balance and unable to produce a good 2nd half when San Diego needed it. This was the first game that Spagnuolo sent consistent blitzes and they worked like a charm.
Sinners
Saints Offensive Line
While the pass protection was better than the run blocking, neither was as good as they are usually capable of. Drew was sacked three times and quietly hit seven times total. The hits didn’t really throw Brees off, thankfully, but it’s something you’d rather not see. The running game continued to struggle, with little to no holes being opened up for running backs. Designed runs produced a measly 2.9 yards per carry, which won’t come in handy if the passing game just so happens to be off for a game.
RB Mark Ingram
We will try not to pick completely on the offensive line for the struggles in the running game, so we will use Ingram as the scapegoat for the running backs. Even with minimal holes to run through, a guy with the talent who was drafted in the 1st round needs to be able to make more out of what’s being given to him. While no one is suggesting that he begins running east and west, he needs to start having better vision to find creases and also break some tackles to turn 3 or 4 yard gains in to 7 or 8 yard gains.
DE Martez Wilson
You may think I’m crazy for putting Wilson here, considering he had one of the biggest plays of the game to help preserve the victory. Maybe I am, but even with the huge play, there was one completely bone-headed move that Wilson made that cannot be overlooked. On the last drive, after a sack and two penalties pushed San Diego back to a nearly impossible 2nd and 37, Wilson got himself a dumb illegal hands to the face penalty, which gave the Chargers an automatic first down and a get out of jail free card. Luckily, he made up for it, but were the Chargers to end up scoring a touchdown to tie the game, that one play could have cost the Saints their season.
