Offense
Passing: A-
Finally, Drew Brees played his most Drew Brees-like game of the season in Sunday’s win. In Week 1 he struggled with accuracy. Then in Week 2, he struggled with decision making. Aside from one forced throw resulting in the Tyrann Mathieu interception, Brees was on point all day. He spread the ball around to eight different receivers, keeping the defense off balance. Jimmy Graham was the big target of the day, hauling in 9 catches for 134 yards and 2 TDs. The surprising stat continues to be how Brees is completing the majority of his passes to non-wide receivers. Only 8 of his 29 completions were to them. Marques Colston did his part, with 5 catches for 71 yards, but Lance Moore and Kenny Stills continue to struggle getting open.
Kenny Vaccaro recorded his first NFL interception on Sunday.
Rushing: C
It was certainly the Saints best day on the ground, but still far from where they’d like to be. This grade would likely be lower, if not for Khiry Robinson’s late push with his 4 carries for 38 yards. While missing Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles handled most of the duties in the backfield, but for a while were trailing Drew Brees in rushing yards. A late 11 yard run by Thomas got him back ahead of Brees in that category. Let’s not forget to mention Drew’s day on the ground, as he scrambled a few times, showing flashes of his days in San Diego. His 21 rushing yards included a 7 yard touchdown run that seemingly put the game on ice.
Saints
Drew Brees
As already mentioned, Brees finally combined accuracy and good decision to making for his best game so far. He looked sharp and finally instilled confidence in Saints fans that he wasn’t going to make a mistake. He threw one bad ball all day, on his interception to Mathieu. It was a pass that should have been thrown away, but the Saints defense forced a quick punt, so no harm, no foul. I expect that, as usual, Brees will continue to get sharper every week. Another game in the Superdome, on Monday Night Football, could prove that.
Jimmy Graham
This guy really is unstoppable. The Cardinals had Yeremiah Bell on him early. He easily beat him for his first touchdown. They then put Tyrann Mathieu on him. He easily beat him for a few first down catches. They then got desperate and put standout corner-back Patrick Peterson on him. Guess what? He easily beat him for a touchdown as well. Teams rarely ever put a corner on a tight end. Look at what Tony Gonzales has done to the Saints. They still continue to put Roman Harper, Malcolm Jenkins, and Curtis Lofton on him, because they don’t want to take one of their corners from outside. Size also plays a big factor, as corner-backs are typically small. Peterson is one of the larger players at his position at 6’1 219. Still, the fact that Arizona chose to take their best defensive player out of his position and put him on Graham, is the ultimate sign of respect.
Sinners
Offensive Line
It was another tough day for the line. They were missing All-Pro guard Jahri Evans. Rookie replacement Tim Lelito struggled to fill in, giving up a sack on the Saints’ first offensive possession. I’m pretty sure that Evans was still called for holding, even while standing on the sideline. (Sorry, had to throw that joke in there.) They allowed 4 sacks on Brees and until late in the game, struggled to open up holes on the ground. The silver lining was that they were able to make some room for Thomas and Robinson as the Saints milked the clock in the 4th quarter. Their struggles have been one of the biggest concerns, making it tough to feel comfortable with the Saints’ ability to run out the clock while leading. (ie. Week 1 vs. Atlanta)
Defense
Passing: A+
For the second straight week, the Saints defense held the opposing team to under 200 yards passing. Carson Palmer finished with 187 yards on 18/35 passing with 2 INTs. Aside from the first drive, Palmer was antsy and clearly bothered on his throws. Rightfully so, as the Saints sacked him 4 times, while hitting him 9 times total. Kenny Vaccaro made the 3rd interception by a Saints safety already this year, something that position has rarely done in the last few years. Lewis’ interception was his first as a Saint.
Rushing: B-
Again, aside from the opening drive, the Saints run defense looked pretty good vs. starting running back Rashard Mendenhall. Andre Ellington and Alfonso Smith were each fairly successful with their 3 carries each, but for the most part, the run defense played well. They held Mendenhall to 3.2 yards per carry.
Saints
Cam Jordan
He continues to get better and better. After two very good weeks, he still produced his best game of the season so far. He sacked Palmer twice and was relentless in his pass rush. What makes him unique is his rare ability to beat blockers with both speed and strength. On one of his sacks, he beat Cardinal right tackle Levi Brown with a spin move, then crushed Palmer. There was one other play that stuck with me, although Palmer got rid of the ball quickly. Jordan bull-rushed Brown and with one forceful extension of his arms, he put Brown on his back and had a clear path to the QB. Palmer got rid of the ball quickly, but still took a big hit.
Junior Galette
The day looked like it could be Galette’s after an early sack of Carson Palmer, but Cam Jordan stole the show. Still, Junior Galette had a very good day and was constantly putting pressure on Palmer, forcing errant throws. He had 1 sack to go with his 3 tackles, 1 of which was a tackle for a loss. Like Cam, he’ll continue to get better and be an even tougher match-up for opposing offensive lines.
Sinners
None
It was another near perfect day for the Saints defense, as they essentially made Arizona zero-dimensional. After the opening touchdown, they forced the Cardinals to punt on eight straight possessions, followed by two interceptions to close out the game. That is the definition of domination on the defensive side of the ball.
See you guys soon for some previews of Monday night’s game against Miami.
Who Dat?!
