Pro Football Focus grades Marcus Williams as the Saints’ best player

The analysts at Pro Football Focus graded Marcus Williams, not Cameron Jordan or Michael Thomas, as the best New Orleans Saints player.

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The New Orleans Saints have one of the better rosters around the league, led by a defense that’s won most of its battles this year. When prompted to suggest which single player is the best on that unit, popular picks are probably defensive end Cameron Jordan or cornerback Marshon Lattimore, or maybe even linebacker Demario Davis.

But the analysts at Pro Football Focus threw another hat into the ring: free safety Marcus Williams, who they’ve graded as the best player not just on the defense, but on the entire team — ranking him ahead of Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, and everyone else. Williams has caught three of New Orleans’ four interceptions this season, and come close to securing three others:

Everyone loves Marshon Lattimore, but it’s Williams who takes the cake for New Orleans right now. The third-year Utah product has earned an impressive 80.8 run-defense grade and an even better 91.1 coverage grade so far this season. Among the 69 safeties with 10 or more targets in Weeks 1-10, Williams ranks first in completion percentage allowed (46.2%) and total yards allowed (51). He has also recorded three dropped interceptions in addition to his three caught interceptions.

Williams has improved his tackling technique as the season has gone on, though his early outings saw the same bad head-down technique that led to the Minneapolis Miracle a few years ago. So credit him for that big improvement. Until his teammates start to help out with some turnovers of their own, the Saints may have to continue relying on his ability to intercept passes from the center-field spot. In the meantime, maybe he can change into a better jersey number?

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Rams’ playoff odds take big hit, drop to 16.5% after Seahawks beat 49ers

Week 10 was a disaster for the Rams.

Week 10 was not kind to the Los Angeles Rams. Not only did they drop a crucial game to the Steelers, but their competition in the NFC moved further ahead in the standings. The Vikings beat the Cowboys, while the Packers knocked off the Panthers. The Bears got a much-needed win, too, for good measure.

The biggest game of the week came on Monday night when the Seahawks and 49ers squared off in arguably the most important game of the season in the NFC. The Seahawks won 27-24 in overtime, moving just a half-game behind the 49ers for the division lead.

More importantly, they pulled 2.5 games ahead of the Rams for one of the wild-card spots. The ideal outcome on Monday night would’ve been a 49ers win, dropping the Seahawks to 7-3, but the Rams weren’t that fortunate.

According to ESPN’s FPI, the Rams’ playoff chances took a significant hit after Monday’s game. Their odds of making the postseason dropped from 23.5 to 16.5 percent just based on the 49ers-Seahawks finish. Even with the 49ers losing, the Rams’ chances of winning the NFC West sit at 1.6%.

It hasn’t gotten to “Dumb and Dumber” levels of “So you’re telling me a chance” desperation, but the Rams’ playoff hopes are on life support right now. If they don’t beat the Bears on Sunday night and the Cowboys, Eagles, 49ers and Vikings all win, the Rams can all but kiss their postseason plans goodbye.