Yet again we are looking back at one of those weeks where we can sit and point out more “Saints”, than we can “sinners”. It’s always more fun to dissect the wins, but huge victories such as this one makes things as enjoyable as they come. Last Sunday’s game vs. the Falcons was possibly one of the most exciting regular season games the Saints have had in recent memories. Games between the two are always fun, but this one was at a whole different level.
With the Saints looking to extend their improbable comeback from their slow start, along with the Falcons 8-0 record, this game certainly had big game written all over it. The Saints needed to have numerous players deliver and few to zero players under perform and that was just the way it happened. New Orleans had player after player step up and make plays to help pull out the huge victory.
Saints
Drew Brees
As if it wasn’t expected, Drew Brees stepped up big on Sunday. In just about every major passing statistic, Drew was right around the benchmark for what constitutes a good game. He finished with 298 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, and a 66% completion percentage. The interception was a near back breaker, coming on the Saints first offensive play of the game and giving Atlanta the ball deep in Saints territory. Drew certainly made up for it, helping lead his team down field for 31 points.
Mark Ingram
The 2011 first round pick is starting to look better and better. He had one of his most complete games of his young career on Sunday, taking 16 carries for 67 yards. He averaged 4.2 yards per carry, good for any running back, much less a power back that gets a lot of his carries on obvious running downs. I like to dissect running backs’ rushing yardage in a more particular way, which I’ll explain in a short article sometime in the near future. Without getting too deep at the moment, basically, what I see from Ingram’s stat line is 67 yards rushing with his longest gain being an 8 yard run. That means that he ground out his yards throughout the game, rather than racking up a bunch on one play and making his stats a bit deceiving. Although big plays count the same, I’m very encouraged by Ingram’s complete game effort.
Chris Ivory
Chris Ivory impressed everyone with his second very good game in as many appearances. In his second game seeing action this season, he took 7 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown. He rumbled for a 56 yard touchdown run, described in detail and the post game recap, which got the Saints out of an early 10-0 deficit. Ivory looked explosive, powerful, and downright angry each time he carried the ball. He has certainly given the entire rushing game a much needed spark and he will need to keep it up as the games get more and more important.
Jimmy Graham
It’s official. Jimmy Graham is fully healthy again and back to his old self. Graham had 7 catches for a career high 146 yards and 2 TDs. He made some nice catches like he did all of last season and proved to be very tough to tackle. He is a complete match-up nightmare and as long as he remains healthy, he’ll be a star. It also seems as if Graham is picking up more and more confidence with every catch he makes or every touchdown he scores, which is scary for the Saints opponents.
Malcolm Jenkins
Many may see Jenkins’ name here and wonder why. Yes, he allowed Tony Gonzales to score on him twice. Gonzales finished with 11 catches on the day, although not all of them were necessarily on Jenkins. Regardless, even Gonzales’ two touchdown receptions, Malcolm Jenkins was all over him. He couldn’t have possibly been any more in position, without getting a defensive pass interference call. On each score, it took a perfectly placed pass by Matt Ryan and a fantastic grab by Gonzales. On the Falcons’ last scoring drive, when they settled for a short field goal, Jenkins provided fantastic coverage when he was split out to the left on Julio Jones. Ryan tried throwing a back pylon fade to Jones, but Jenkins played him perfectly and kept him from making the catch. Perhaps Jenkins’ biggest play of the game came on the big goal line stand, when Ryan attempted a second down throw for a wide open Gonzales, but Jenkins laid out mid-air to swat the ball away and help preserve the game.
Sinners
The only two players that barely deserve to make this list are both on here for one play each. Each of them made one single mistake that could have been costly.
Devery Henderson
Henderson had two targets in Sunday’s game, but did not pull in a reception. He 100% should have had at least one, though. On a short 3rd and 2 early in the 4th quarter, Henderson dropped a pass right in his hands with no one close to him that would have easily been enough for a first down to extend the Saints’ drive. The drop gave the Saints a quick three and out, giving the ball right back to the Falcons to continue their comeback effort. The Saints offense has shown an inability to stay on the field and get first downs in the second half. It was the number one factor in their loss to the 1-8 Chiefs back in Week 3 and its drops like Henderson’s that add to the woes.
Isa Abdul-Quddus
Quddus has shown good promise since making the Saints roster as an undrafted rookie last season. On Sunday, though, he almost allowed a disaster. When the Falcons got the ball back with less than a minute left and hoping for a miracle, they almost got one. Matt Ryan threw a deep pass to Roddy White, which thankfully sailed over White’s head, because Abdul-Quddus allowed White to get nearly five yards behind him at the Saints’ 10 yard line. A better throw could have been a Falcons touchdown or having the ball inside the 10 yard line at the very least. Thankfully, luck was on the side of New Orleans and the disaster was averted. Hopefully for Isa Abdul-Quddus, the young man learned his lesson.
Who Dat?!
