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The New Orleans Saints swept the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9 with standout performances from Trey Hendrickson and Marshon Lattimore.
Some members of the New Orleans Saints impressed more than others in Week 9’s victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it was very much a team effort in their 38-3 landslide win. The Saints finally put together a complete game with big plays on offense and defense, plus some help from the special teams units, to put this one away early.
Here are our picks for Week 9’s studs and duds:
Winners and losers from the Dallas Cowboys third straight loss.
The Dallas Cowboys hung tough for three and a half quarters before the wheels fell off. Inexperienced quarterback play squandered the best defensive effort the team has put forth all season, failing to reach the end zone for second straight game.
It’s often been said that anybody could do what Dak Prescott did in this offense. It turns out that’s not the case as the Cowboys fell 23-9 to the Phildaelphia Eagles in front of a hopefully small national audience. It’s time to get to the winners and losers.
Which players stood out and which ones fell flat on Sunday afternoon?
The Steelers handed the Titans their first loss to remain undefeated on the season. Despite Pittsburgh’s perfect record, no player is perfect. There are winners to be celebrated and losers to be criticized. Here they are.
The Atlanta Falcons got embarrassingly beat by the Dallas Cowboys 40-39 after the Falcons allowed the Cowboys to recover an onside kick.
The Atlanta Falcons blew Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys in embarrassing fashion, falling, 40-39, after the Falcons allowed the Cowboys to recover an onside kick. Atlanta suffered some injuries, but this game should have been locked away in the win column long before that.
Dan Quinn will need to provide some great answers for owner Arthur Blank as to why the team lost this one. Here’s a look at the winners and losers from Sunday’s crushing defeat in Dallas.
Going for 100-plus yards and two touchdowns again in this one sets a tone for Calvin Ridley‘s season. It’s looking like a breakout year for the former first-round pick out of Alabama. The Falcons will need more of this type of production from Ridley with how bad the defense has been looking. Atlanta has the offensive firepower to do it, though.
Julio Jones finished the game with just two catches for 24 yards. He dropped what was going to be a surefire touchdown on a deep pass from Russell Gage. He was also only really open for four targets. He’s been battling an injury, but this was not a good game for him and showed some humanity from the best receiver in the league.
Matt Ryan went 24-for-36 for 273 yards and four touchdowns while playing turnover-free football. He did all he could for the Falcons to try and keep them in this game. Atlanta had a very solid game on offense, but it all went to waste.
Despite the Cowboys missing Tyron Smith and their top two right tackles, the Falcons were unable to generate a consistent pass rush once Takkarist McKinley went out with an injury. There were some blitzes that were able to beat the weakened offensive line. McKinley shouldn’t be the key cog to the pass rush when you have guys like Jarrett and Fowler on big contracts.
Coverage in this one wasn’t amazing, but the big break downs weren’t on the Falcons’ top three corners. They combined for multiple pass deflections including three dropped interceptions. Terrell even had a blitz that should have been ruled a sack because Dak’s knee was down. Atlanta’s defense as a whole was bad, but the corners showed promise in this one versus a good unit.
Atlanta was up 20-0 after the first quarter, and they looked like they were going to have a good day on defense. Then the injury bug hit at all three levels of the defense and the right tackle on offense. Kaleb McGary might be out for the year, and starting LB Foye Oluokun, DE Takkarist McKinley and FS Ricardo Allen look to be out for a few weeks. This could get bad.
Seeing eight targets, Hayden Hurst showed his ability to be a deep threat and a reliable underneath target all in one. Hurst had five catches for 72 yards and a touchdown, including catches of 44 yards and a 22 yards. The Falcons got what they expected out of Hurst and should see more of the same moving forward.
Atlanta couldn’t keep up pace when the Cowboys chose to go up tempo. The Falcons just have one of the worst defenses in the league and when you can mess with their lack of communication by going up tempo, you only hurt them more. This gives opposing teams a blueprint on how to beat the Falcons’ defense, and it will lead to worse games throughout the rest of the year.
Younghoe Koo was perfect on his kickoffs. The Falcons punt unit was driving the punts deep and playing great coverage on them. The kickoff unit didn’t allow them to get it past the 25 yard line. The big misstep though, was the onside kick situation right at the end of the game. They let the ball roll 10 yards and then Dallas recovered. Atlanta needs to know to attack that sooner.
Ezekiel Elliott had 28 touches for 122 yards and a touchdown. That’s over 4.0 yards per touch and honestly an unacceptable situation for the Falcons if they have to win. The Falcons were terrible on defense, and this was just a game that they couldn’t allow the best Dallas player to have a game like this.
Fire him. Fire him, now. The Falcons couldn’t afford to go down 0-2 on the season and still make the playoffs. This was a highly-winnable game. Regardless of injuries on defense. Regardless of anything else, it’s time to get rid of a guy who doesn’t know how to hold onto a lead in a game. You can’t be up 20-0 and later on 29-10 and still lose. You just can’t. It’s unacceptable.
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The Redskins as a whole had a successful 2020 NFL Draft, but who made out as major winners on the team, and who might have lost?
All in all, it’s accurate to say that the Washington Redskins just completed another incredibly successful NFL Draft, coming away from 2020 with several weapons that have a chance to contribute meaningful minutes right away in the Fall, and another handful of players who can add depth to the roster and hopefully be molded into eventual difference-makers.
So who were some of the biggest benefactors from the action this weekend, and who is a bit worse for the ware? Let’s break it down.
With the obvious selection of Chase Young with the No. 2 overall pick, the entire Redskins defense was better off, but specifically the defensive line. If Young turns out to be the dominant force that many are projecting as early as his rookie year, every lineman on the defensive front will stand to benefit in Washington, as opposing offenses will be forced to shift attention to him, letting others slide through the cracks. Whether that’s Montez Sweat, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, Matt Ioannidis, or Ryan Kerrigan, the thought stands the same. High tides let talent rise around them, and the tide that’s coming with Young has a chance to be special.
In the fourth and fifth rounds of the draft, the Redskins selected both an LT who is projected to sit for a year and a C/G who is projected to do the same. Seems like they could be crowding on Christian’s and Pierschbachers’s space, does it not? While the Redskins used mid-round picks on both players in the last few years, neither has shown any improvement as of yet, and Washington may feel like it’s time to get some new blood in the offensive line depth chart, hoping that these new players can hit. They will all battle for a spot on the roster this fall, but I would be shocked if both Christian and Perschbacher make the squad in the fall.
Some New Orleans Saints players benefited from the moves the team made in the 2020 NFL Draft, while others were victims of circumstance.
Some New Orleans Saints players benefited more than others once the 2020 NFL Draft wrapped up. Others found themselves on more unstable ground than when the event started, while the futures of this year’s rookie class is yet to be decided.
Let’s get into our winners and losers for the Saints from the 2020 draft:
Saints wide receivers
We went into the draft thinking the Saints would take advantage of rare depth among the wide receiver class and overwhelm Drew Brees with weapons. That’s not what happened. Instead, the Saints showed a lot of faith in their depth chart as-is, waiting until the undrafted free agency frenzy to add any new talent at the position.
That’s good news for players like Tre’Quan Smith, Krishawn Hogan, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey, not to mention Deonte Harris. Every wideout ranked after Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders now knows who they will be competing against in training camp, and their opponents won’t have the luxury of high draft status to give them an edge. The best players will get the most opportunities, as it should be.
Adam Trautman
This might be the perfect situation for Trautman to step into, given his background at a small school not known for putting players into the NFL. He’ll be able to lean on the decade-plus of experience that Jared Cook and Josh Hill have collected in their NFL careers, providing perfect models of how he too can succeed at the game’s highest level.
He also won’t have to be rushed into a role he isn’t ready for. Cook can continue to dominate targets through the air while Hill handles blocking duties. The Saints have shuffled their third tight end spot around often the last few years, trying to find a backup blocker who can lessen Hill’s workload, and Trautman can fill that role while thoroughly learning the playbook.
Alvin Kamara
The Saints had opportunities to draft a running back of the future, but instead they reinforced the offensive line and made sure to invest in better blocking up front and out wide on screens. That’s great news for Kamara, who is headed for the final year of his rookie contract (and who also was never dangled as trade bait with other teams).
Kamara’s immediate job security is now tighter than it’s ever been before, with no immediate replacement on hand and a stronger supporting cast around him. Cesar Ruiz starting at center should push Erik McCoy to guard, where both players can do a better job executing blocks in space and up the middle than the Saints were able to do last year. Now we need to see whether the Saints will try to re-sign Kamara to a big-money contract extension before the season, because his value will skyrocket if they wait too long.
The New Orleans Saints proved their mettle in a 38-28 road victory over the Tennessee Titans, rallying back from an early 14-0 deficit to take the lead and hold onto it for the rest of the game. A number of standout performances made that happen, …
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The New Orleans Saints proved their mettle in a 38-28 road victory over the Tennessee Titans, rallying back from an early 14-0 deficit to take the lead and hold onto it for the rest of the game. A number of standout performances made that happen, while a few less-than-stellar individual mistakes and mismatches put them in that hole in the first place. Here’s your Week 16 Studs and Duds.
Have a day, Michael Thomas. The Pro Bowl, All-Pro wide receiver finished the game with a dozen receptions for 136 receiving yards and the final touchdown score, good enough to break records set by all-time greats like Randy Moss and Marvin Harrison. Thomas was consistently too much for the Titans defense to handle, and Drew Brees was quick to recognize it by giving Thomas so many targets.
Let’s not forget Alvin Kamara, either. He’s been slow to get back up to speed from some early-season injuries, but his 110 yards from scrimmage and two touchdown runs against Tennessee did a lot to put him back on the map. If he’s truly back to his old self and ready for the playoffs, the Saints offense might be unstoppable. They’ve averaged more than 35 points per game since the post-bye Falcons upset, which feels like a lifetime ago.
How about Deonte Harris? The rookie Pro Bowler looked the part on kick and punt returns, ending his day with 183 all-purpose yards. He was a mismatch against a sloppy Titans special teams unit, which was doing its best to avoid kicking to him later in the game. But Harris has proven he can take a game over if given the chance, and that’s a huge asset to add to the Saints’ arsenal as the calendar turns towards the playoffs in January.
We’ll close out this segment with Demario Davis. The veteran linebacker was on fire against the Titans, flowing towards the ball in run defense while remaining active on passing downs. He led the Saints with 11 tackles (9 solo), including a pair of big tackles for loss of yards. He also chipped in a sack and two hits, along with his weekly pass deflection. Saints fans have spent a decade praying for good — not even great, just good — linebacker play, but Davis has given them an elite performance to look forward to each week. His Pro Bowl snub is a glaring omission from the NFL’s all-star game.
It wasn’t the debut Janoris Jenkins probably hoped for, having been given just a few days of practice before getting rushed into action on Sunday. When Eli Apple and Marcus Williams exited the game with injuries, the Saints had to scramble to put a patchwork secondary together, which meant more exposure for Jenkins than anticipated. He was at fault for one touchdown pass, drew a coverage penalty early on, and struggled to communicate with his new teammates at times throughout the game. The good news is that he should improve rapidly with more practice time.
Speaking of Marcus Williams: he’s a frustrating player, who too often spikes what should have been a great play with a careless mistake. He allowed two big gains in coverage by making the correct read and getting into position, but failing to wrap up for a clean tackle. That’s been the story of his year — despite the team-leading interceptions total (4) and knack for quick play diagnosis, he’s still making these sloppy mistakes in big moments, and costing his team. He’s a young player and should continue to grow and develop, but any missed time with this groin injury will delay that maturation.
The Saints offensive line can’t get healthy soon enough. They were missing starting guards Andrus Peat and Larry Warford, and the Titans pass-rush unit took advantage with three big sacks against Brees. Even standout right tackle Ryan Ramczyk allowed a sack, while center Erik McCoy made a few rookie mistakes. New Orleans struggled to get much going on the ground until Kamara found a lane and traveled 40 yards for a touchdown; outside of that play, the Saints averaged just 3.42 yards per carry. Backup guards Nick Easton and Will Clapp can start in a pinch, but this game proved they can’t hold up in extended action against a competent defensive front.
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The Broncos never looked back after jumping out to an early lead against the Texans. Here are three standout performers from the win.
It’s too bad that the Denver Broncos are playing this well with the postseason essentially out of reach. Of course, that’s one way to look at it. The other, more positive way to look at it, would be that the future includes some potentially great things.
Normally, we would talk about winners and losers for the Broncos after their game, but after this game, it’s pretty tough to find any “losers.” After all, the Broncos were up 38-3 at one point in this game against a team fresh off of a big win over the New England Patriots.
Instead, we’ll focus on the three big stars of the game, kind of like they do in the National Hockey League. There were plenty of players to choose from in this one.
This is the obvious place to start. Lock was phenomenal in his second career start, completing 22-of-27 passes and throwing for 309 yards and three touchdowns. To say he has Broncos Country excited would be a small understatement.
Would you believe that until Sunday, no rookie quarterback ever threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in their first career road start? Lock made NFL history by doing just that.
The Atlanta Falcons made it fun at the end by almost coming back to win against the New Orleans Saints with three great onside kicks, but came up short.
The Atlanta Falcons made it fun at the end by almost coming back to win against the New Orleans Saints with three great onside kicks, but came up short. The Saints won this one, 26-18, but the game shouldn’t have even been this close.
The Falcons kicker missed his second kick just before the half. And the Falcons would have been completely done for because of them. But with three consecutive great onside kicks, Younghoe Koo gave the Falcons a chance to get back into the game. Koo even hit a couple of field goals after his early misses to give Atlanta a solid chance.
Not only were the Falcons poor in pass protection, allowing nine sacks on the night, but they were atrocious in run blocking, averaging just 2.95 yards per carry in the run game. The Falcons need to get their offensive line healthy and have better coaching up front to make a difference in 2020. This is the biggest issue with the team right now.
Foye Oluokun had himself a day in Atlanta. He did a good job against the run making open field tackles and was also exceptional in coverage despite not getting many opportunities. Not only was Oluokun impressive on defense, but his special teams play as a gunner and his two onside kick recoveries on back-to-back attempts were amazing as well. He even contributed to another onside kick recovery by knocking it out of Michael Thomas’ hands.
The Falcons had two chances to get back into the game in the third and early fourth quarters that were ended by poor play by Matt Ryan. It’s rare when he’s put as a loser on this list, but he did not have a good game against the Saints. He even had another fumble on a drive with 9 minutes left that sealed the game. Outside of the touchdown pass to Jaeden Graham and a 18-yard completion to Calvin Ridley, the franchise QB let the team down today.
In coverage, Deion Jones had one of his best games of the season, breaking up multiple passes. He also played very well against the run, tackling Saints running backs and preventing huge plays. Jones has shown that he was worth that contract extension the Falcons signed him to. He just needs to give this kind of effort every week in future seasons.
Volume was the name of the game for Devonta Freeman in this one. His pass blocking was atrocious all game. He also didn’t produce well despite being force fed the ball 21 times. The offensive line didn’t do him any faovors, but he only gained 64 yards and didn’t score a touchdown in this game. There’s a point where you just have to cut your losses, and that point may be very soon with Freeman based on production.
In what was one of the worst called games of the season, Dirk Koetter and Dan Quinn showed why they should be shown the door. At this point, cut the losses, give the reigns to Greg Knapp on offense, Jeff Ulbrich on defense and Raheem Morris as head coach.
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