What two game losing streak? Just kidding, this was a Saints team that was clearly fueled by a lot of emotions after a pair of humbling losses. And that’s OK.
The key now will be replicating that energy, preparation and motivation. It can’t just be a flash in a pan, but lightning in a bottle. If the Saints play the type of complete football game they put out today in a 34-0 straight-up butt-whooping of the Patriots in their backyard, there will be a lot of wins to come.
So who stood out? The only question is how to limit that to just three and some honorable mentions. In my pregame column I focused exclusively on the offense, so I’ll mostly do that again here. We’ll have plenty of time to talk about an elite defense as the season goes on. There are also some less-than-perfect performances to consider. Scroll below for the full breakdown.
THREE UP
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1. PETE AND CO.
Pete Carmichael has gotten more than his fair share of attention over the past month as the Saints offense has scuffled. He needed to see a day like today more than anybody. But the most interesting part was that it was about a lot more than just him.
Alvin Kamara in particular seems to have taken a leading role in giving his OC a nudge in the right direction when he sees it. The offense in this game was more of a collaboration, and that’s a good thing. The play-caller can’t just be calling plays he likes, it needs to be something that fits the players’ eye, too. There was a concerted effort to work things into the offense in that line of thinking, and when channeled in the right way that’s a good way to optimize results.
Allowing that much input from outside sources can be a double-edged sword, though. When everything is going well, everything goes well. What happens when there’s adversity and those decisions carry a bit more weight, or there might be some disagreement as to the approach? We’ll find out another day.
Regardless, this team and offense in particular earned a sign of relief. They executed in the red zone for touchdowns. They extended drives and ran the ball effectively. We even saw a screen work!
Now, it wasn’t all perfect, and there were just enough miscues that’ll show on film for a coaching staff to find teaching points even after as dominating a win as you’ll ever see. But we’ve been hearing all season how “close” this offense was to breaking out. That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t matter what you see in practice or camp or preseason, the only thing that matters is the product on the field. That product was excellent this week, and that’s got to continue.
At least for one week, there'll be a reprieve from the play-caller debate.
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2. WR MIKE THOMAS
Mike Thomas knows who he is, particularly at this point in his career. He’s a player who grinds. He’s a player who makes big plays in big moments. He’s also a big dude, and he can survive some of the biggest hits you’ll see.
That’s why he tells Derek Carr not to shy away from leading him into what equates to a bustling intersection at rush hour. If the QB can fit the ball in for a big play, MT is more than willing to absorb contact and keep the chains moving. That’s what he did multiple times in Week 5, and we continue to see the rapport between MT and DC grow.
Thomas is still yet to have any massive games, but his floor has been as high as anyone. He’s had at least four catches and 50 yards receiving in every game this season. He and Carr are developing the chemistry needed to adjust on the fly, in many cases non-verbally. That’s the type of thing MT and Drew Brees had down to an artform, where they’d ID opportunities and play “pitch and catch.” That doesn’t develop overnight, and we’re seeing it form in real time.
But possibly the biggest development is Thomas and teammate Alvin Kamara, both of whom came up on this roster with veteran leaders showing them the way, now developing into true leaders themselves. Both have typically been “lead by example” players throughout their careers, but it couldn’t be clearer that they’re embracing the opportunity to lead vocally and with energy. Players like Chris Olave and Kendre Miller are the impressionable youngsters now, and those are the exact right vets to emulate.
All that said, the thing I’m happiest about with Mike Thomas this year is that he’s 5-for-5 … in games played. It can’t be overstated how much of an asset he is to this team, even when he’s not catching the ball. He’s as true an X receiver as exists in the NFL, and the only thing that’s slowed him down has been his own body. Everything is working right now, fingers crossed that continues.
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3. RB KENDRE MILLER
There were a lot of players I considered tossing in this spot, but when a rookie takes on a bigger workload and delivers his best performance yet, he’s going to get my vote.
That’s what happened in Week 5 with Kendre Miller. Prior to the game the Saints opted to waive Tony Jones Jr., leaving Miller and Alvin Kamara as the lone active RBs for the game. In Week 3 Kendre worked behind TJJ and in Week 4 he cycled in as RB3 behind Jones and Kamara. But he learned early on this week that he’d be moving up the pecking order, and he didn’t disappoint.
The rookie ran hard between the tackles. He got to the right spot for a long checkdown from Derek Carr. He even ran an effective screen. The former TCU Horned Frog finished with a career high 37 rushing yards on 12 carries, to go with a career high 53 receiving yards on 4 catches.
It all goes to show the confidence that this team has in the young player, which was never a given three games into his career. Derek Carr echoed that, noting that his understanding in the huddle is impressive for a young player.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Saints manage the backfield reps when Jamaal Williams returns from injured reserve. That would be Week 7 at the earliest. In the meantime I’m excited to see how this backfield tandem can continue to develop.
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LAGNIAPPE
Alvin Kamara just continues to do Alvin Kamara things. My stock was already so high on him that even a 97-yard day with a TD isn't enough to make it soar any higher. That said he did set a franchise record with his 73rd career TD, so he more than deserves a spot on this list. ... S Jordan Howden continues to impress. He played with a club on his left hand today and still found his way to knock down two passes. He'll shift back into his dime role with Marcus Maye returning from suspension, but this experience could be invaluable down the road. ... Nephi Sewell is the backup fullback? Who knew. ... Tyrann Mathieu just continues to be the exact type of consistent this defense needs. He always seems to be in the right spot, evidenced by his pick-6 that got the avalanche started. ... Foster Moreau is very much a dirty work guy, so it's nice to see him rewarded with a shovel pass TD in the red zone. It'd be nice to see the TEs more incorporated generally speaking, but beggars can't be choosers. ... Derek Carr deserves more praise for his day than he'll get. It was just a solid, high-quality QB day without a ton of frills. The only way the Saints were losing this game was with bad turnovers, he avoided them completely and made big throws in big moments. This team doesn't need dynamic quarterbacking to win games, but it does need efficient quarterbacking (particularly in the red zone). The Saints got exactly that today. ... No one will be talking about it after a 34-0 blowout, but Blake Grupe was cash from 50-plus on two opportunities. There was a decent bit of wind out in Foxborough. The Saints have a ton of confidence in the rookie, for good reason.
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THREE DOWN
1. THE FALSE STARTERS
There were a ton of positives to pull out of this game, and one clear and obvious negative: What was with all the damn penalties?!?!
Four false starts. What? In a lot of instances you’ll go on the road and say “give credit to the fans, they made it impossible to communicate.” Not this week. The Patriots gave their fans no reason to make noise, at least not positively. I wouldn’t put a single false start on the crowd noise, yet they still happened. The most distressing part is all the different sources for those moments.
Here’s the list of false starters (for shame):
- WR Chris Olave
- G Cesar Ruiz
- TE Foster Moreau
- WR Rashid Shaheed
Those were just a chunk of what added up to 12 total penalties for 86 yards. Coaches never want to let a team get too full of themselves, so I’m sure this will be harped on (particularly the receivers). In a closer game that many penalties can and will cost you.
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2. TE JIMMY GRAHAM
I continue to wonder what it’ll take for Jimmy Graham to catch a ball. In this case he got a target, but it fell to the turf. The ball was behind him, but still catchable. The tight ends haven’t exactly been emphasized, but even by those standards their lack of usage doesn’t make a ton of sense.
With Juwan Johnson out, Graham’s role is safe. But you have to wonder if the TE roster might see some trims if and when everyone gets back healthy, because I just don’t see how the extra TE is benefitting anyone right now.
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3. CB ALONTAE TAYLOR (SPECIAL TEAMS VERSION)
Now, this one is tricky. I thought Alontae Taylor had a fine game on defense, but I’m worried he’s going to give Darren Rizzi an aneurism on his special teams snaps. On one punt return he seems to have gotten his wires crossed and just … didn’t get on the field. The Saints ran the return with 10 men. It didn’t affect anything, but it was still a tough moment.
Later in the game he had another flub with a holding penalty that erased a 16-yard Rashid Shaheed return and forced the Saints to start a drive from their own 5-yard line.
Taylor is the starting slot corner, so a few ‘yikes’ moments on special teams won’t hurt his standing, but it’s definitely not going to make for a fun film review session this week.