Erik McCoy – Syndication Server

Saints PFF grades: Best, worst players from loss to Commanders in Week 15

Who were the best and worst players from the Saints’ Week 15 loss to the Washington Commanders according to the PFF grading system?

The New Orleans Saints have made their way to 5-9 on the season after a 20-19 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 15. This loss leaves them on the precipice of being eliminated from the playoffs for the season, and ultimately with a decent shot of a solid draft pick.

As much as the Saints wanted to get back into this game, bringing it within a failed two-point conversion of winning the game, they fell short despite some strong individual performances on the team.

The PFF grades from this week coincide well with this fact, there are some players who had exceptionally high grades, and then it falls off to be about average or below average when you get beyond the players who performed extremely well. The Saints did not perform exceptionally well all around, and this is reflected in their respective grades.

Based on the Pro Football Focus grading system, here are the best and worse players from the Saints’ Week 15 loss to the Commanders:

Top 5 offense

C Erik McCoy: 78.9
TE Foster Moreau: 77.1
WR Cedrick Wilson Jr: 74.6
OT Taliese Fuaga: 72.6
RB Alvin Kamara: 70.5

The Saints offensive line was very hit or miss in this game, but that was certainly not the fault of Erik McCoy or Taliese Fuaga, who both had outstanding games. McCoy came in with a whopping 91.1 run blocking grade, and Fuaga had a 90.9 pass blocking grade, with both players being near the top for the Saints. Cedrick Wilson Jr. managed a 83.0 run block grade on the day which is rather impressive as well. Kamara and Moreau both got on the list because of their contributions in the receiving game, with a 90.9 and 90.1 pass play grade respectively.

Top 5 Defense

DE Carl Granderson: 87.0
CB Shemar Jean-Charles: 84.9
LB Demario Davis: 72.6
DE Payton Turner: 71.9

T-5. CB Kool-Aid McKinstry: 71.3

T-5. LB Willie Gay: 71.3

The defense for the Saints graded out pretty well in comparison to previous weeks, especially Carl Granderson who played a total of 53 snaps and put together an 87.0 grade, leading the team. Shemar Jean-Charles was only put into the game late, with a total of 9 defensive snaps, but he was targeted once and forced a PBU so not bad all things considered. Demario Davis had an outstanding day as well, with 78 total snaps, 10 tackles, 2 pressures, a sack, and only 1 missed tackle in that span. Overall a very strong day from the defense up top.

Bottom 5 offense

TE Juwan Johnson: 43.5
LG Lucas Patrick: 48.0
RT Trevor Penning: 49.1
QB Jake Haener: 54.5
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 55.0

When I mentioned the offensive line having a poor day but it not reflecting on Fuaga or McCoy, it most certainly reflected on the others, as Lucas Patrick and Trevor Penning both had grades under 50, which indicates extremely poor play according to PFF grading. Juwan Johnson was also worth noting here, considering his drops throughout the game and generally a quiet performance from him even without them. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was an interesting one given his big-time second half reception to kick off the Saints offense, and PFF did list him as a 45.1 grade on passing downs, which is interesting to say the least. Jake Haener was relatively self-explanatory, not much to speak of offensively with him and shorted out the offense when he was on the field, taking only 21 snaps in the first half before being benched for Spencer Rattler.

Bottom 5 Defense

DE Isaiah Foskey: 40.9
DT Bryan Bresee: 50.0
CB Alontae Taylor: 51.7
CB Ugo Amadi: 53.3
FS Tyrann Mathieu: 58.8

Some unusual suspects on the negative end of the PFF grading system from Week 15, with three of the five players being regular starters in Bresee, Taylor, and Mathieu. Unfortunately this mostly reflects on the first half of play, where the Saints defense had trouble stopping both the run and the pass, which negatively impacted those who got tied to those plays. Bresee had a down day compared to the past few weeks, with only 3 pressures and no sacks when most of the defensive line was producing, primarily because he seemed to be taking on double teams at a high rate.

Special teams

Special teams had a somewhat middle of the road day outside the top few players, with Shemar Jean-Charles (81.0), J.T. Gray (71.2) and Zach Wood (63.9) being the only three players with grades above a 61. Most of the team resided in the range of 60 to 61 in terms of grades, however on the other end, there were some players with sub-50 grades as well. Adam Prentice (43.7), Rico Payton (40.4), Isaiah Foskey (38.1), and Payton Turner (37.4) were those who ended up on the negative side of things for special teams, and ultimately that was primarily due to penalties or missed plays.

quarterback play

The quarterback play in this game was between Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler. As we previously mentioned, Haener had a 54.5 grade overall, and this was due to a 55.9 passing grade and a 57.9 rushing grade. Spencer Rattler graded out a decent clip better, coming up with a 69.0 overall grade and 68.4 passing grade. Funny enough, Cedrick Wilson Jr. came out with the best passing grade on the day, with a 74.6 offensive grade and 71.0 passing grade.

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Saints injury report: Starting offensive line coming into focus vs. Giants

The New Orleans Saints could have their starting offensive line together for the first time since Week 3 against the New York Giants. More on Thursday’s injury report:

There weren’t many changes for the New Orleans Saints on Thursday’s updated injury report, but the news we did get was mostly positive ahead of Sunday’s game with the New York Giants. The Saints announced that right guard Cesar Ruiz (concussion) returned to practice on a limited basis after sitting out on Wednesday, and he would bring a big boost to an offensive line already dealing with several high-profile injuries.

If Ruiz is able to go along with left guard Lucas Patrick (calf) and center Erik McCoy (groin), each of whom also practiced limited reps, the Saints would have their starting five together again for the first time since Week 3.

Of course it wasn’t all good news. Rookie wide receiver Bub Means (ankle), still on injured reserve, did not participate in Thursday’s practice after seeing limited snaps to start the week. Whether he’s experienced a setback or was held out of an abundance of caution remains to be seen.

As for the Giants? They added three players to their already-heavy injury report, most notably rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers (groin). His status is worth monitoring in the days ahead. For now, here’s the full Thursday injury report from both teams:

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Saints injury report: Latest on Taysom Hill, Kendre Miller, Bub Means vs. Giants

New Orleans Saints injury report: Latest on Taysom Hill, Kendre Miller, Bub Means vs. New York Giants in Week 14

Wednesday’s initial New Orleans Saints injury report was a mixed bag of news ahead of Sunday’s game with the New York Giants. Last week’s brief injury report was nice while it lasted — the list has since grown from six names to twelve, doubling in size.

Some of these developments are positive, but not many. Running back Kendre Miller (hamstring) is one of the new additions as he returns to practice in anticipation of being activated again from injured reserve. Another new listing is rookie wide receiver Bub Means (ankle), who was limited.

But losing impact players like tight end Taysom Hill (knee) and right guard Cesar Ruiz (concussion), neither of whom practiced, is worrisome. Key starters like center Erik McCoy (groin) and left guard Lucas Patrick (calf) were each limited to start the week.

Here’s the full injury report from each team:

Saints announce inactive players for Week 13 vs. Rams

The New Orleans Saints announced their list of inactive players for Week 13’s game with the Los Angeles Rams. They’re without their best offensive lineman:

We’re closing in on kickoff between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams in Week 13 at the Caesars Superdome, but some players will be watching this one from the sidelines. Whether it’s due to injuries or coaching decisions, each team reported their list of inactive players for Sunday’s matchup.

The big question for the Saints was whether Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy would be able to go after missing practice this week. He returned from groin surgery just before the bye week, but aggravated that injury against the Cleveland Browns and wasn’t fully recovered after the break. And now we know he won’t be playing on Sunday. It’ll likely be Shane Lemieux snapping the ball to Derek Carr from center this week.

You can find more information on the final Week 13 injury report, which we broke down in detail here. Here are the inactive players from each team.

New Orleans Saints inactive players:

OG Lucas Patrick (injury)
DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (injury)
C Erik McCoy (injury)
RB Jordan Mims
LB Jaylan Ford
WR Mason Tipton
DT Khristian Boyd
QB Spencer Rattler (emergency QB3)

Los Angeles Rams inactive players:

TE Tyler Higbee (injury)
OT KT Leveston (injury)
OL Warren McClendon
RB Cody Schrader
OL Dylan McMahon
OLB Brennan Jackson
QB Stetson Bennett IV (emergency QB3)

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Saints rule one starter out ahead of Week 13 game vs. Rams

The Saints will be without a starting offensive lineman again versus the Rams. Here’s their final injury report for Week 13:

On Friday, the New Orleans Saints handed a few injury updates ahead of their matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, some good and some bad.

On a negative note, Erik McCoy will be a game time decision on Sunday. The leader of the offensive line injured the same groin that landed him on injured reserve earlier this season. Lucas Patrick will miss his third consecutive game with a calf injury, as he was already ruled out.

Positively, Foster Moreau doesn’t have an injury designation despite being limited in practice the entirety of the week. New Orleans is low on receiving talent, and Moreau gives Derek Carr another player he can trust.

Jamaal Williams was the only player whose designation changed throughout the week. Williams was limited on Wednesday and elevated to a full participant at Friday’s practice. The Saints didn’t practice on Thursday.

The best news is arguably the return of Tanoh Kpassagnon from his Achilles injury. He along with McCoy and Williams are listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.

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Saints’ best offensive lineman will be a gametime decision vs. Rams

Erik McCoy re-aggravated his groin injury versus the Browns, and the Saints center will be a gametime decision versus the Rams:

The absence of Erik McCoy from the beginning of the Week 3 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles until Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns is the biggest blow the New Orleans Saints took this season.

That injury was compounded with other injuries to the interior offensive line, but it felt McCoy’s injury was the most crippling of the bunch. Why are we rehashing the past?

McCoy re-aggravated his groin injury in his first game back. Darren Rizzi labeled McCoy as a gametime decision versus the Los Angeles Rams. The concern about this announcement comes on two fronts.

One, the Saints would be without their best offensive lineman and the leader of that unit. We saw the impact of his absence once, and there should be fear his absence could have a similar impact again.

Secondly, Rizzi exuded confidence about McCoy playing when asked about the center’s health after the Browns game. This would suggest things aren’t progressing as well as hoped.

You don’t want to rush him out there if he isn’t ready. He’s already injured the groin twice, so you want to step carefully here. If McCoy can’t go, it’ll be Shane Lemieux who would fill in at center.

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Recently-cut Saints center already reunites with his old team

The Saints waived Erik McCoy’s replacement Connor McGovern when the starter returned from injury, but McGovern is already back with his old team:

Some New Orleans Saints fans questioned the decision to waive Connor McGovern, and this development makes those concerns look warranted. McGovern emerged as the best candidate to replace Erik McCoy at center when the Pro Bowler missed a month-plus with a groin injury — but when McCoy returned from injured reserve, the Saints let McGovern go. And the next day he returned to the New York Jets, who claimed him off of waivers.

Remember, the Saints cut second-year wide receiver A.T. Perry to make room for McGovern in the first place, having signed him off the Jets practice squad. Moving on from that proven veteran at this point felt a little premature, and that only looked worse when McCoy exited his first game back after aggravating that groin injury. Fortunately, he’s expected to be fine when players return from their time off during the bye week.

Still — unless this was a case of McGovern asking for his release, you have to wonder if he was the best option to let go. He’s been better in the middle than other players on the roster like Shane Lemieux or Landon Young. There are guys at other positions who aren’t contributing much on Sundays. But the Saints clearly felt this was their best path forward. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come back to haunt them.

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No team has scored more TDs on the Cowboys’ home turf than the Saints

No team has scored more touchdowns at AT&T Stadium than the Saints did in Week 2 — including the Cowboys all season long. New Orleans tore the roof off that sucker:

It’s a beautiful venue Jerry Jones built for the Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium. It’s just a shame his team hasn’t scored more points for their fans than they have this season. The Cowboys have managed just five touchdowns on offense all year long, and it’s the New Orleans Saints who tore the roof off that sucker. The Saints are AT&T Stadium’s scoring leader with six touchdowns to their credit way back in Week 2.

At the same time, it’s a shame the Saints couldn’t maintain that pace. It’s why Dennis Allen got fired and they slumped into a seven-game losing streak. But the tide has turned, maybe. Darren Rizzi has brought new life to the locker room and the practice field and the sideline on game days. Klint Kubiak is running his offense the way he planned to with Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy back in the lineup and Taysom Hill recovered from injury.

The 35 points they dropped on the Cleveland Browns’ heads this Sunday were the most the Saints scored since they blew out the Cowboys in Dallas back on Sept. 15.

In a way, their bye week came at the worst time. You’d like to see the Saints keep this momentum going and continue playing fast in another matchup soon. But every team needs rest, and they could use it with McCoy on the mend (though Rizzi says he’s expected to be fine after the bye). The challenge then becomes picking up where they left off. And with the Los Angeles Rams, another playoff hopeful fighting for a winning record, coming up next? Rizzi and his squad need every minute to prepare to hit the ground running on Dec. 1.

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Saints coach Darren Rizzi shares update on Erik McCoy injury

Darren Rizzi shared an update on Monday regarding the status of center Erik McCoy, who exited Sunday’s game with an injury:

Darren Rizzi provided an update on Monday regarding the status of center Erik McCoy, who went down during the Saints’ 35-14 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday with a groin injury.

It was his first game back after missing seven games due to the same injury, but he re-aggravated it here.

Ahead of the bye week on the horizon, Rizzi indicated that McCoy “went through a bunch of tests” and that the team was using caution in this situation.

He noted it was a positive thing that the Saints had a bye week to rest up, but made it clear McCoy would be fine regardless.

The importance of McCoy is not to be underestimated when it comes to keeping veteran quarterback Derek Carr upright, and that’s something the quarterback paid respect to in the week leading up to the game when he met with the media.

“He can fix problems on the fly, things no one will ever see, no one will ever know, handling the un-scouted looks and then winning his matchups,” Carr said. “For a QB, it’s nice when he’s there, because you know exactly what you’re getting.”

Expect McCoy to be back in the fold at full capacity when the Saints continue the 2024 schedule against the Los Angeles Rams. Kickoff is set for 3:05 p.m. CT in the Caesars Superdome on Dec. 1.

Saints announce inactive players for Week 11 game vs. Browns

Erik McCoy is active, but the Saints still aren’t fully healthy on the offensive line. Here’s the full list of inactive players in Week 11.

One name you won’t see on the New Orleans Saints list of inactive players is Erik McCoy. The center was activated from injured reserve on Saturday. That was merely a formality. It was known McCoy would play from the time the Saints waived Connor McGovern.

Unfortunately, the Saints still aren’t at full strength in the interior offensive line. Lucas Patrick remains out with an ankle injury for the second week in a row.

Kool-Aid McKinstry and Alontae Taylor will start in the secondary for the first time since New Orleans traded Marshon Lattimore to the Washington Commanders. McKinstry was out with a hamstring, and now the team can get a look at potentially their cornerbacks of the future.

In addition to Patrick, Jamaal Williams was also ruled out after Friday’s practice. Here is the full list of inactive players as the Saints take on the Browns in a Week 11 showdown:

New Orleans Saints inactive players:

G Lucas Patrick (ankle)
RB Jamaal Williams (groin)
LB Jaylan Ford
DT Khristian Boyd
WR Mason Tipton
S Millard Bradford
QB Spencer Rattler (emergency quarterback)

Cleveland Browns inactive players:

WR Jaelon Darden
RB D’Onta Foreman
CBH Chigozie Anusiem
OT Jedrick Wills Jr.
QB Bailey Zappe (emergency quarterback)

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