On the whole I think there was more positive than bad. The offense cashed in on turnovers and took advantage of a short field early. Then, they ran the football at will gashing the Colts for huge chunks of yards. Then they scored again to take a 27 point lead before shutting it down for the entire second half. And by shut it down, I mean they were largely incapable of doing anything. It was a very odd transformation, almost like they got tight and didn’t have the killer instinct to finish the game. Oddly Brees seemed off for a large portion of the game and lacking in chemistry with his receivers. The pass protection was leaky at times which forced uncomfortable throws. There’s tons to clean up for this unit that’s still pretty flawed and fragmented. They don’t have the firepower to put up 40 on someone but at times you get glimpses of that offense that used to be so fun to watch. Below are the grades:
Drew Brees: C+ (2.78)
He was under a lot of pressure but this was a poor performance by his standards. He had two interceptions in the Colts red zone that were both inexcusable but he was bailed out by a defensive holding penalty on one of them. He finished 28 for 44 for 255 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He seemed to be off the mark, especially downfield, on a number of throws. His stat line could have been more generous with a more consistent running game in the second half and without a few drops. He did what was necessary for the win and had some nice throws, but it wasn’t what we saw last Thursday. He deserves bonus points for a great lead block on a double reverse to Spiller, a better block than we’ve ever seen from Jimmy Graham, and for making huge throws to Cooks and Colston with the game on the line.
Mark Ingram: A (2.76)
The stats speak pretty clearly that this was his best game of the season. He finished with 143 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown, though that was inflated early and he struggled to run late. I would’ve like to see him get the ball more in the second half and he seemed to leave late with an injury. It did seem minor. He also had 2 catches for 5 yards. When you’re putting up numbers like that you can only get one grade, but he was fortunate to get ruled down by contact on a fumble that could’ve really exposed the Saints even more to that Colts comeback.
Khiry Robinson: C+ (2.48)
Just 1 catch for 3 yards and 14 carries for 28 yards. I was surprised he saw as many carries as Ingram considering he seemed to have less vision than usual. He ran into his players and struggled to make the right cuts. A couple of times he was brought down on runs I’ve seen him power through. It wasn’t a great day for Khiry but he deserves credit for running very well in the red zone with two touchdowns. The scores boost his grade a good bit.
C. J. Spiller: B- (2.39)
He still seems to be limping a little bit. He was shy from contact and often was quick to go out of bounds. Give Payton credit for getting him involved and trying to get him opportunities in space, though. He finished with 4 carries for 16 yards and 6 catches for 32 yards. A decent showing, and 10 touches is definitely what he should be seeing every game.
Marques Colston: D (1.72)
Before his lone reception he was headed for an F. Give him credit though, he made a huge catch with the game on the line to seal it for the team. It was a 20 yard reception. Prior to that, he had yet another drop on what looked like a nice reception before he took a big hit and didn’t secure the football all the way to the ground. He was visibly frustrated with the drop. He was also targeted in the end zone by Brees but had zero awareness of where the ball was. That play seemed like a total miscommunication and ended in a killer red zone turnover. That’s been the pattern lately for Colston – 3 targets, one INT, one drop, and one catch. The negative is continuing to far outweigh the positive, but at least it ended on a high note. He also whiffed badly on a screen block that blew up the play. It’s truly been a miserable season for him. Nowhere to go but up, I hope. Maybe he can build off his big reception late.
Brandin Cooks: C+ (2.48)
Frustrating performance. He had a deep ball that was slightly overthrown go off his fingertips, but that’s a ball he needs to catch. He also had a nice slant called back due to a penalty. His chemistry with Brees is just off. His size is clearly an issue. He struggles with press against bigger corners and the Saints run LOS pick plays with Snead at times to free him up. Brees missed him on some throws downfield where I don’t think he sees him and he’s trying to throw where he guesses Cooks might be. His ability to break open field tackles is non existent. He finished with 6 catches for 81 yards, but that was on 13 targets. The Saints need to be able to connect on more than 46% of his targets. His 47 yard reception on a perfect throw by Brees late was huge, though. It was similar to the drop but a better thrown ball and Cooks made a fantastic catch. That play get the Saints out of their own end zone and allowed the team to flip the field. The Saints easily could’ve lost if he drops that ball. Still looking for better production here… His size is an issue for blocking, too, as evidenced on the big Ingram run downfield. He was also credited with a fumble but he seemed down by contact.
Willie Snead: C- (2.86)
Not his best game, we’ve been used to better. He dropped a ball in the end zone that was slightly behind him but a ball he has to come up with. The Saints would end up throwing an interception on that same drive, so the drop hurt. He finished with 3 catches for 25 yards on 7 targets.
Brandon Coleman: B- (1.95)
His lone target was a touch pass downfield where he makes a beautiful catch in traffic and shows toughness gaining 24 yards. A nice contribution on a big 3rd down play. I’d like to see him used more but given how quiet he’s been lately that’s a good place to start.
Ben Watson: B (2.76)
His best play was actually on special teams with the fake field goal. He finished with a workmanlike 4 catches for 59 yards, most coming on the 25 yarder. He had a “drop” which was clearly a catch, right before the fake field goal, but it was ruled incomplete correctly because the ball poked out as he stretched for a first down and he didn’t “complete the catch to the ground”. Stupid rule, anyone watching that play knows it was clearly a catch. He did a good job blocking for the most part but was blown up on a couple run blocks.
Josh Hill: C+ (1.95)
He was flagged for offensive pass interference on his lone target. Too bad, because it was a touchdown reception where he makes a nice effort. Good flop by the defender, though. I think it’s a weak call, but justified. Otherwise I was impressed with how he blocked in the run game. He had good seals and helped the run game.
Michael Hoomanawanui: A- (2.11)
The Akiem Hicks feels pretty good right now with the way the defense is playing. He had 5 receptions on 5 targets for 31 yards and a touchdown. He did an excellent job blocking, as well. With Austin Johnson a healthy scratch he was the primary lead blocker, especially on the red zone touchdown carries. Called once for holding.
Terron Armstead: A- (3.20)
It’s amazing how he returns from a knee issues and doesn’t miss a beat. You could barely tell, if at all, that he wasn’t at 100%. He’s really turning into a fantastic tackle, particularly with his pass protection which is almost always clean.
Tim Lelito: B (1.95)
Not always perfect but pretty solid both in pass protection and in run blocking. There was one pass pro issue but otherwise I was impressed. If he can string more games like this together, the Saints line will perform better. Definitely one of his best games this year.
Max Unger: A (2.86)
I’d say this was his best game as a Saint. Finally we saw the impact he can make in the running game. On those big Ingram runs he opened huge lanes. He finished plays with fantastic effort. At the end of one nice Ingram run he pancaked two defenders at the same time. A beast performance. Between his play and the Anthony pick, the Graham trade felt pretty good this week.
Jahri Evans: C+ (2.83)
Kendall Langford completely had his way with him on one play that led to a sack. It’s hard to overlook that one in what was otherwise a pretty good showing. Some of the run blocks were spotty. He doesn’t seem to be moving great in space but he had his moments. Called once for holding.
Zach Strief: C (1.76) He gave up a sack to Robert Mathis on the opening drive and had trouble containing his rushes off the edge. He also got pushed back on a Robinson run that led to a loss. But it wasn’t all bad, as Strief had some nice moments, including a phenomenal lead block on the second Robinson score. Still waiting for him to put a complete game together, though.
Senio Kelemete: B- (1.93)
He was the jumbo lineman that came in as an extra blogger on short yardage carries. The Saints had success on the ground with him in there.
My Offensive Player of the Game: Mark Ingram
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