After an impressive team win last week against the Lions the Saints came back to earth. The New Orleans Saints struggled against the Los Angeles Chargers and were down 20-10 at the half. The offense woke up and the defense shut down the Chargers and it was easily the most exciting game in this early season or nerve wrecking depending what kind of fan you are. I certainly lost about 5 years due to this game.
3 Pros
Marquez Callaway
Shout out to Section 600 Podcast host Ross Jackson for this one. Ross really put me on the Callaway hype train. We have bene monitoring Calloway since training camp and since he made the 53. All Pro returner Deonte Harris did not play against the Chargers. However, it sure did feel like it we still had Harris in. Callaway averaged nearly 12 yards a return and really put the Saints in great field position all night. Calloway had 4 catches for 34 yards.
Will Lutz
Boy, remember in 2014 and 2015 when the Saints didn’t have a kicker to make the kicks Will Lutz has made in the past few seasons? He absolutely crushed it on Monday Night. He was 3 for 3 including a huge 53 yarder in the 3rd quarter and the game winner at the end.
Sheldon Rankins
It was really nice to see Rankins get constant pressure on Justin Herbert. Rankins finally make his presence known this season. Rankins recorded his first sack along side 5 tackles. The interior part of the defensive line has been a pleasant surprise so far this season.
Bonus: Patrick Robinson
I’ve had this draft saved for months and the people at Section600 know I’ve been on this hype train since 2010. We have come full circle. Patrick Robinson played really well against the Lions last week. Just take away the blown coverage on the Mike Williams TD, which was a miscommunication between Him and PJ, and he’s played better than expected.
3 Cons
Marcus Williams
The dip Marcus Williams has taken this year is quite noticeable. In the first quarter he missed multiple tackles and once again took poor angles on tackles. He is who he is which is fine. Just wish we could step it up a little more.
Play calling
We have seen this before, but I’ll say it again Sean Payton’s play calling has been very questionable through the first 5 games. The offense its just been a slow revving machine. If the Saints are going to want to be in the playoffs and compete for a title these slow starts won’t do it against these the better NFC teams.
PJ Williams
Look we know what PJ is and what he’s best at. He played safety surprisingly well last season. He really seemed to play well throughout training camp. However, he was absolutely exposed on a blown coverage assignment that allowed Mike Williams to “Go All The Way” for a late touchdown. I expect PJ Williams to rebound, but he can’t have those mental errors.
You must log in to post a comment.