As Drew Brees pointed out earlier this season, they’ve got to find more early down success to make those third downs more manageable. It’s obvious where the Saints must improve on offense: they converted just 2 of 13 third down plays, consistently putting themselves in a tough spot with modest games on first and second downs. On kickoffs, the Saints never allowed a return of longer than 23 yards at an average of 17.7 yards per kick return. He had a long of 58 yards and the Seahawks only gained 19 punt return yards. Blake Gillikin punted six times and dropped four of them inside the Seattle 20-yard line without conceding a touchback. And they sacked Winston five times and forced him into several throwaways, too.Īnd New Orleans’ special teams units came through in multiple clutch moments. New Orleans otherwise only allowed 83 passing yards on 11 completed throws. Yeah, they gave up a horrendous 84-yard touchdown reception to DK Metcalf minutes into the game, but those 84 yards counted for half of Seattle’s total 167 passing yards. The Saints pass defense deserves some credit. Getting him paired up with David Onyemata next week could be fun. He immediately looked like New Orleans’ best pass rusher. The big defensive end was constantly around the football (and quarterback Geno Smith), even if the stats sheet doesn’t reflect it well enough. On the day before his 25th birthday, Johnson also converted a screen pass into a 12-yard, first-down gain on fourth-and-7 in the second quarter, when the game was still in doubt. A couple of starters returned from injured reserve this week and none had a better game than Marcus Davenport.He’s the vocal leader of the defense for good reason, but he’s also known for leading by example - just look at his huge pass breakup on the final play of the night from Seattle, which he just nearly intercepted. The Saints trailed 13-0 entering the fourth quarter when quarterback Jameis Winston came to life, completing seven of seven passes as the Saints marched 89 yards ending with 5-yard scoring run by. He also had three quarterback hits and challenged the Seahawks offensive line’s gap integrity throughout the game. ![]() ![]() Several defenders had strong games but Demario Davis was most impressive with four tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.It went as well as you could hope for someone in these circumstances but Sean Payton does deserve some credit for keeping him out of risky, long-distance situations. Johnson made both of his short-range field goal tries as well as an extra-point attempt in ugly conditions. It was a respectable performance from rookie kicker Brian Johnson, too, in his first NFL action since turning pro out of Virginia Tech.And he did it in a slog behind poor blocking in the rain and wind in front of a raucous crowd. ![]()
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