This was a shockingly horrible performance in every way from the Saints offense. For the first time in the Sean Payton era, the Saints failed to score a touchdown in this game. And of course, the primary reason for that was one man: J. J. Watt. The Saints had no answer for Watt. They left themselves vulnerable in other areas by giving Watt extra attention… which did nothing to stop him specifically either, by the way. I have to say the Texans played very aggressively and covered well on the back end. It was a nightmare scenario. Early the Saints tried to get the ball out of Brees’s hands quickly to neutralize the Texans pass rush and keep them honest, but the Texans were fast to the ball and tackled very well. In hindsight, the Saints would have been better off pounding the ball with Mark Ingram early. While the aggressive play could have led to some losses, Ingram also found the second level a few times running because of the pursuit. Unfortunately, one first down followed by three quick three and outs resulted in a quick 14-0 deficit. I said earlier this week the Saints couldn’t afford to get down multiple scores against this team early and that’s exactly what happened. This game was over before it started because of it. Below are the grades:
Drew Brees: D+ (2.77)
One of his most pedestrian stat lines in his career as a Saint. 25 of 44 for 228 yards and 1 interception. He was under pressure and hit constantly, particularly by J. J. Watt who sacked him twice. Clearly the pressure rattled him, but even so he was grossly inaccurate at times. There were a number of make-able plays that I’ve seen the old Drew Brees hit where he just missed placing the ball in a tight window. A very disappointing performance overall by him, particularly when the Saints need him at every bit of his best to have any shot (fair or unfair). There was a lot wrong with the unit’s performance and it’s unfair to saddle Brees with a lot of it when the line was so bad – but the bottom line is he was not good. He didn’t go on the interception binge like he’s done at times in the past, but it was as bad as those performances. I would put this one up there as a top 5 worst games for him in a Saints uniform. We don’t see them often.
Mark Ingram: B+ (2.79)
Without Ingram this could have been so much worse. I really wish the Saints had made more of a commitment to him early. That may have kept things closer. He broke a couple of runs including a beautiful 29 yarder down the sideline. He finished with 52 yards on just 9 carries and added another 45 yards on 6 receptions. 97 yards on 15 touches is a solid contribution by any standard. He should have seen the ball more but the low number of 3rd down conversions limited his opportunities. He did have a terrible drop on a 3rd down pass but I doubt he makes the first down on that play anyway. He was tough to bring down on most touches. His GPA jumps ahead of Brees’s for the season after this game.
C. J. Spiller: D (2.17)
Seriously, why did the Saints even bother signing this guy? For the money they paid him I have to believe they could have landed someone who would have contributed in a more meaningful way – particularly on defense. He isn’t even used. And Ingram was good so I’m not even lobbying for less touches for him, but Spiller had 2 catches for 8 yards and 1 run for -2 yards. That’s right, 3 touches for 6 yards. I’d love to see him play more but I’m not even sure it would help at this point, he’s not really doing much when he sees the ball. He also had kick returns of 25 and 15 yards and didn’t look too threatening in that department. At this point I think it’s safe to label him as yet another free agency bust.
Ben Watson: C- (2.73)
The Texans did a good job on him. He finished with 4 catches for 53 yards but was targeted 9 times. The Texans covered him well and contested most of his targets. He did have a couple drops, including a pass in the end zone that was a tough grab but should have been made. He cost Brees the 45 game touchdown pass streak on this one. Very up and down game and my biggest gripe is a horrible block on a wide receiver screen to T. J. Graham.
Josh Hill: D+ (2.03)
He was targeted once in the end zone, incomplete. He’s clearly fallen behind Hoomanawanui on the depth chart and has become a complete afterthought. Disappointing as a blocker, it remains baffling that this is likely the worst season of his young career. We were all convinced he was poised to be the next Jimmy Graham. Instead he now has 10 receptions in 11 games when some of us (myself included) wondered if he could catch 70 balls this season. He’s not even standing out on special teams like he did so often a year ago. He did have one tackle after a good return.
Michael Hoomanawanui: C- (1.91)
At times he helped blocking, at times he really didn’t. He was also targeted once but overthrown. I’ve yet to really see what he brings to the table, honestly. Not that I mind the trade since Akiem Hicks was worse.
Marques Colston: B- (2.13)
He should have been utilized more, honestly. He was one of the solid players on offense in the game. He blocked well and made the most of his 3 catches for 38 yards. He was wide open on the interception where Brees got greedy and tried to take a shot at the end zone. The right read was a wide open Colston on a crossing route there. Give him credit on that interception for hustling and making a diving tackle from behind to save a touchdown.
Brandin Cooks: C+ (2.76)
He was covered extremely well by the Texans. Brees tried to go his way often with mixed results. He finished with 5 catches for 35 yards on 8 targets. Unfortunately the Texans got to Brees too quickly for his routes to develop and his size remains a noticeable disadvantage. He had sure hands and did his best given the circumstances, though.
Willie Snead: C+ (2.79)
Made a beautiful back shoulder catch downfield for a big gain on a 3rd down. That was about it. He had 4 catches for 50 yards on 8 targets. Had a similar game to Cooks, honestly. He seemed to run the wrong route at one point which led to a miscommunication and poorly located throw by Brees. Snead seemed to draw Brees’s ire there.
Brandon Coleman: D- (2.00)
He was targeted once on a 4th down play in the end zone where Brees tried to take advantage of his height – not that that ever seems to work. Beyond that he’s a complete afterthought on offense. Worse, he was a liability on special teams in this game. He negated a decent return with a block in the back and looked lost as a gunner. What started as a promising season is continually getting worse for him.
T. J. Graham: **his grade will come with special teams**
He did contribute one catch for -1 yards so I wanted to notate that here, but he will be graded primarily with the special teams unit later.
Terron Armstead: C- (2.78)
Disappointing game from the Saints left tackle. He played fine on his side but the Saints rotated him over to help Strief at one point, where he got roasted by Watt and beaten for a sack. He’s clearly still not 100%. It’s an extremely tight race between he, Brees, Cooks, Snead, Ingram, Unger and Watson for offensive player of the year/MVP.
Andrus Peat: D (2.42)
This is clearly not his position and it was a pretty disappointing performance overall. The times he was lined up against Watt he was embarrassed. He was flagged twice, once for holding and once for a false start. If he’s going to play I’d like to see him at right tackle. It’ll be interesting to see if the Saints try this experiment next week against the Panthers… could be even uglier. It wasn’t all bad, though, I noticed one pancake.
Max Unger: B- (2.79)
The few times the Saints had nice runs, he was involved. One of the few guys up front that showed up.
Jahri Evans: B- (2.63)
When he was matched up with Watt he fared well. Like Unger I liked his pass protection. His run blocking was hit or miss but he was not the issue.
Zach Strief: D (1.97)
He just had no chance against Watt. Help or no help, it didn’t really matter. Brees did get the ball out fast but Watt was breathing down his neck on almost every play. He struggled to run block him too.
Senio Kelemete: C- (2.00)
Interesting that he was preferred over Lelito as the tackle eligible in jumbo situations. Not that he helped. I still think he deserves another shot to start at left guard but we’ll see.
My Offensive Player of the Game: Mark Ingram
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