Don’t ask me how this Saints defense pulled this off. I honestly have no idea. They gave up 34 points, looked so bad after a half of football we were all ready to burn it to the ground, and somehow they came out smelling like roses. The second half was really really strong. They got more aggressive, put the young DBs in man coverage, and that was all it took. Philip Rivers has a tremendous release but I feel like the pass rush was better in this game. Against a different quarterback there may have been more sacks. The defense produced 3 sacks and 3 turnovers (all in the last 6 minutes!) to create a win out of nowhere. It was as much a Charger implosion as anything, but the defense was opportunistic. I had a double take on the run defense – the Chargers had just 38 yards on 21 carries (1.8 per!). That is as dominant of a run defense performance as I’ve seen from a Sean Payton defense. It didn’t really feel like it watching the game, and giving up 34 points is a lot, but giving up 346 yards total is a win for this defense. I was most impressed with how they finished the game because I expected the Chargers to go down and set up the game winning field goal. Hopefully they can get back to more health after the bye week. Kudos to special teams, too, which wasn’t a total wasteland in this game.
Cameron Jordan: B (2.59) He finished with 4 tackles and a sack – his 3rd straight game posting a sack. I thought he was good in run support, exceptional on a couple of plays, and he was in Rivers’s face a decent amount. Rivers’s quick release prevented Jordan from getting more sacks. He was quiet early but finished strong late. He also forced a fumble on his sack which Rivers recovered.
Nick Fairley: B (3.09) Last year we never saw the pocket collapse but we saw it plenty of times in this game. That’s so effective in disrupting a quarterback because they have nothing to step up into. Fairley had 3 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 4 hits on Rivers. He was a menace rushing the passer. I wasn’t as impressed with his run defense but overall another very solid performance. The only real negative was an offside call that would negate the Jairus Byrd interception. That was a huge play before halftime and the Chargers would end up cashing in for 7. If the Saints lose, that would have been identified as a huge sequence. You can’t jump offside in that situation.
Tyeler Davison: B- (2.78) He had just 1 tackle but his presence was felt. The run defense when he’s in the game is so much better. It was great having him back on the field.
Paul Kruger: B (1.83) Finally he had a decent showing. He finished with 2 tackles, a half sack, and another hit on Rivers. Better pass rushing than usual, and he also read a screen play well for a breakup on a ball he batted away. Left the game with a back injury.
Darryl Tapp: B- (1.89) He had 1 tackle and 1 QB hit. Decent sub snaps overall but his biggest contribution was a fumble recovery that gave the team new life.
John Jenkins: B (2.33) Played seldom but gave valuable effort and pursuit, while showing his presence against the run. 3 tackles.
David Onyemata: C+ (2.09) He got some pressure in pass rushing situations and pushed the pocket well. He had one tackle and a hit on Rivers. He also somehow allowed Rivers to escape and throw the ball away on a play where he had Rivers dead to rights on a sack.
Kasim Edebali: B- (1.59) He’s had a miserable start to the season but he started to show some things again that made us originally think he would be a good player in the league. He had 1 tackle and a big pass break up late in the game on a tipped ball. He got up field well and created pressure. Also looked decent on special teams.
Craig Robertson: C (2.67) Both early touchdown were cover 2 situations where he did not get deep enough as the middle deep linebacker. He lets the tight end get behind him both times and it leads to touchdowns. I thought his coverage was spotty, though he did have a break up on 3rd down later in the game. He missed a couple of tackles in run support, but also had others around the line of scrimmage where if he misses them it’s a big play. I thought he struggled early with his new position and got better as the game progressed. He had 6 tackles.
Nate Stupar: A- (2.50) I would have said in the first half he was slow to the ball, bad in coverage, and soft tackling. One first down he gave up was inexcusable. But then something changed in the second half. He was like a man possessed. Very physical and constantly around the ball. He completely shut down and finished off any Charger rushing attempts. It was like a different player. He led the team with 9 tackles and may deserve another start after the bye based on that half of football. Also came up with the fumble recovery that would set up the game winning touchdown, despite the ball being in between his legs.
Michael Mauti: C (2.55) I thought he would start and play more but his snaps were limited. He had little impact with no major mistakes.
Ken Crawley: B (2.00) On the second touchdown pass I thought he didn’t disrupt the receiver enough giving him a free release. In cover 2, that’s not his receiver downfield, though. He gave up a couple of plays but overall I thought his coverage was pretty good once again. He had 7 tackles and a defended pass. He has also very good in run support and had a tackle for a loss. He’s coming into his own, I think he’s going to be a pretty good corner. Getting a little better every week.
Sterling Moore: C+ (2.33) A decent showing. Was beat on a handful of plays. Just tipped a ball by getting high on that 3rd and 22 play before the interception. If he doesn’t tip that ball we might have been in for a worst of pain. He had 4 tackles and I love how willing he is to come up and put a hit on someone. The Saints blitzed him a couple times but it was ineffective.
B. W. Webb: A- (2.84) He played fantastic coverage late, including the game winning interception. That was the first pick for the Saints since week 17 of 2015 when Jamarca Sanford picked off Matt Ryan. He had 3 tackles and 3 defended passes to go with the interception.
Vonn Bell: C+ (2.44) He looked like a rookie, but give him credit late for forcing the fumble by putting his helmet into Melvin Gordon’s forearm. His missed tackle on the second touchdown just can’t happen, and he’s got to clean up those open field plays. He was fast to the sideline, though, and put hard hits on people. He had 6 tackles and was spotty in coverage.
Kenny Vaccaro: C (2.78) He looked slower and not nearly as physical. He clearly wasn’t himself out there. Hopefully the time off will see him return back to his old self. Way too many missed or soft tackles. I’m used to him wrecking people so far this season. He had 4 tackles, 1 for a loss.
Roman Harper: D- (1.34) Slow to the ball, not effective blitzing, and poor tackling. He had one tackle but felt like a liability out there. Very slow start to the season.
Jairus Byrd: C+ (1.83) Played little but did ok when he was in. Came up with a RIDICULOUS interception in the end zone just before haltime on a jump wrestling it away from Hunter Henry, but it was negated by a penalty. His coverage was good as a high safety in a 3 safety look. He left with an injury after the pick but is apparently ok.
Wil Lutz: B (2.58) His kickoffs were intentionally short on a couple of occasions but the returns were pretty good. Not sure if the coverage was bad or if there wasn’t enough height on the ball. He only kicked five extra points and they were all perfect. That’s notable, considering they’re all from 33 yards out now. The one he made with the score tied at 34 had some pressure involved, too. Good to see.
Thomas Morstead: A (3.08) He had a 62 yard punt downed at the 1! He averaged a booming 51.2 on 5 punts with a net of over 45. Considering the NFL record for a season net is 44.2, anytime you get higher than that it’s pretty impressive. Excellent day for Morstead. Only one of his five punts was inside the 20, but it would have been tough without a penalty. He also had a tackle on one punt that yielded a big return due to poor coverage.
Travaris Cadet: C+ (2.33) Averaged 24.5 yards on two kickoff returns. Not bad, better than usual. He played a handful of offensive snaps but the ball never came his way.
Brian Dixon: C+ (2.33) Nice to have him back on the squad. He was the first man down as a gunner but wasn’t able to make initial tackles. He did down the 62 yarder at the 1, though.
De’Vante Harris: D (1.25) Looking forward to him not being a liability out there. Was flagged for running out of bounds without being pushed. He also missed a tackle. On two separate occasions Greg McMahon was talking to him trying to give him teaching moments. He had 1 tackle.
My defensive player of the game: Nate Stupar
My special teams player of the game: Thomas Morstead
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