When you score 41 points, it’s really hard to nitpick issues. There were enough miscues that it really felt like the Saints could put up 60, though. The pass protection was good enough and Brees torched the young banged up Panthers secondary. The Saints ran 21 times for just 63 yards and it didn’t matter. Every home game has felt like this so far, where the offense really seems like it could score on every drive – and it might not be enough. Hopefully they get more help from the defense in the weeks to come. For the time being, they did what was needed to win the game. It feels really good to type that. Below are the grades:
Drew Brees: A (3.07) I was concerned he might be injured based on how he was throwing the ball in San Diego, but he was throwing the ball very well downfield. Concerns are no more and that bodes well for the offense moving forward. He had a bad interception and missed a couple wide open deep throws but that prevents him from getting the A+. 34 for 49, 465 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. The Panthers could not stop him.
Mark Ingram: C (2.73) I hate the pitches to him. I’m going to come out saying it. I think he looks slow to the sideline and often makes a cut back which ends up making a bad play worse. This was a tough front to run on and yards were hard to come by. Ingram ran hard when it was off guard/tackle and did the best he good. The effort was there. He had 51 yards on 16 carries and added 2 catches for 9 yards. The screens to him don’t seem to be working out, either. Still waiting for that “#angryingram” performance.
Daniel Lasco: B- (2.67) Very understated spell work. 2 carries for 5 yards, a reception for 4 yards. Not much of a contribution when he touched the ball. He boosts his grade with great kick coverage on special teams, though, including 2 tackles.
Travaris Cadet: C+ (2.33) His first down on 3rd and 9 on the final drive was enormous. He took a check down pass and sprinted, beating the defender to the marker. If he doesn’t get a first down there, the Saints probably lose the game. On that final drive he was targeted a good bit by Brees. He finished with a carry for 3 yards and 4 catches for 27 yards. He also had a poor kick return for just 13 yards.
John Kuhn: C (3.00) He didn’t play much because the Saints primarily ran 2 tight end sets and shotgun spreads. When he was in he didn’t seem to make much of an impact. The Saints failed to convert on a 3rd and short run with Ingram that seemed tailor made for Kuhn. I would have liked to see him used a little more.
Brandin Cooks: A (2.93) He now owns the two longest plays in the NFL this year with an 87 yard touchdown. He finished with 7 catches for 173 yards and 1 touchdown. He was overthrown on another ball that could have been another big score, though he can potentially be blamed a bit there throwing off the timing by slowing down briefly. On one play he does a fantastic job breaking off his route after Brees got out of the pocket and getting behind the Panthers defense for a huge gain. Excellent showing, his route running was excellent.
Willie Snead, IV: C+ (2.83) He finished with 4 catches for 47 yards. Not bad by any means, but not great either considering 7 targets. He also had a really poor drop taking his eyes off the ball on a screen that had room to gain yards.
Michael Thomas: A- (3.13) This guy is a BALLER. Every week I become more convinced he’s going to be a star as he gets better and better. Great hands, great ability after the catch, great chemistry from Brees. It’s awesome to have a rookie that’s already so dependable. 5 catches for 78 yards and 1 touchdown.
Brandon Coleman: C (2.25) He finished with 1 catch for 6 yards. He made a nice grab on his other target but his second foot came out of bounds. He does a decent job as a blocker.
Tommylee Lewis: B (2.67) The big play was the punt return which was just awesome. Too bad the punter clips his ankle and prevents the score. He raced 59 yards there to set up a score and he also had a 4 yard return later. On offense he had 2 catches for 24 yards but also had a wide open drop on 3rd down that was just killer. That’s a play he just has to make.
Coby Fleener: A (2.27) Probably his best game of the year. He took a tight end sweep (what?!?) which was last tried against the Seahawks in the playoffs for disastrous results. We still give the “Josh Hill around” play grief and Sean Payton can now rest easy the play sometimes works. Anyway, the play worked this time, 2 yards for a score. Fleener had 6 catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Most coming on a 50 yard score where he makes a ridiculous catch and looks fast racing to the end zone.
Josh Hill: B+ (2.50) First off, the Saints missed his blocking. It was exceptional helping in pass protection. He also dropped a couple balls, so clearly his catching needed to shake off rust. His two grabs were very good, though, and his touchdown catch showed an unbelievable amount of hand strength. He had 2 catches for 23 yards and the score.
Andrus Peat: B (2.80) Played pretty well at left tackle and was really missed when he left. Re-watching, it seemed like a groin issue the way they were treating him. Hopefully he can come back quickly. The Saints need him badly with Armstead out. He didn’t have a dominant day by any means, but he held up well against Charles Johnson.
Senio Kelemete: C+ (2.58) Kawann Short is a tough assignment, no doubt about it. It was interesting to see him back from injury and clearly back to being ahead of Lelito in the pecking order. Overall it was a decent showing but he nearly got Brees sacked for a safety and the run support was shaky at times.
Max Unger: B- (3.20) Good in pass protection but less so in run blocking. He’s given Brees a clean pocket and helped against two tough interior players. You just didn’t see him down the field extending plays as we’ve grown accustomed to.
Jahri Evans: B+ (2.87) He re-directed Star Lotulelei many times outside of Brees, allowing Brees to step up numerous times into a clean pocket. I thought Evans was the best pass blocker on the day. His chemistry with Brees was evident.
Zach Strief: B+ (2.80) Kony Ealy was actually moved over to the left a couple of times in an effort to get him going. Strief mostly shut down his efforts. Like the other guys the run blocking wasn’t great, but the pass blocking was on point. There was a blitz pickup on Kuechly where he left Brees exposed to backside pressure (and a big hit), but I don’t think that’s on Strief since the play was rolling out away from pressure.
Tony Hills: D+ (1.33) I actually think his pass blocking was very good on the final drive when the Saints needed it most. Too many mistakes, though. Two penalties on the same drive, getting beat and allowing Brees to get blasted. Hopefully he pulls it together because he’s probably the starting left tackle next week.
My offensive player of the game: Drew Brees
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