The New Orleans Saints offense has played like one of the NFL’s best without Michael Thomas, leaning on Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray.
[sendtonews_embed video_id=”03CUE9pXu6-1000752-7498″]
Which position group has impressed the most for the New Orleans Saints offense? The quarterbacks and wide receivers have had their struggles, while the offensive line and tight ends have been dealt a tough hand with injuries.
On a week-to-week evaluation, it’s hard to argue against running backs Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray as the most consistent performers: they’re each averaging more than 4.0 yards per carry and rank first and third on the team in yards from scrimmage through the first five games. So getting them on the field as often as possible in 21 personnel packages, either together or lined up with fullback Michael Burton, makes sense.
But the Saints have run just 12 percent of their plays out of this package with one tight end, two running backs, and two wide receivers, but they’ve had impressive success. They’re averaging 5.0 yards per carry on 21 rushing attempts and 11.1 yards per pass attempt on 15 throws. It’s a total success rate of 65%, among the best in the league.
The Carolina Panthers haven’t used it often as the Saints (21 plays) but they have also achieved a 65% success rate out of 21 personnel. The Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks each have a 100% success rate in that package, but they’ve combined for just three plays. Six other teams run 21 personnel more often than the Saints, but none of them are as effective.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean the Saints should wildly change what they’re doing. They’re performing as one of the NFL’s better offenses regardless of personnel packages; their least successful look is 22 personnel with two backs, two tight ends, and just one receiver, and even that success rate (48%) trails only the Baltimore Ravens (51%) among teams using it 25 or more times this season.
What the Saints are doing on offense is working. It might not be as flashy as we’re used to, but they’re still scoring 30.6 points per game — more than the Ravens, who lead the league in total points scored in six weeks but at just 29.8 points per game. And they’ve done that without Michael Thomas, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year. If the team’s pass defense can improve just slightly and if Thomas can help open up the offense, they’ll have a vastly different perception in just a few weeks.
[vertical-gallery id=39038]
