To say the New Orleans Saints RB room is depleted would be an understatement.
Alvin Kamara is suspended. Rookie Kendre Miller is still yet to make his debut due to a hamstring injury. Now add Jamaal Williams to that list after he suffered a hamstring injury of his own. No worries, practice squad call-up Tony Jones Jr. is the guy running for two touchdowns as the Saints took down the Panthers 20-17 in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated.
The Saints, for the second consecutive week, took over in the second half after a rough offensive start and made big plays to end the game on their terms. The first touchdown allowed on the season came in garbage time. This team, after a season full of games where it felt like they found new and incredible ways to lose, seems to finally understand what it takes to win.
It was a sight to see under the lights in Carolina, and there are plenty of stock up accolades to give out -- but also some not-so-good notes to make. Scroll below for three up, three down and some lagniappe after the team's first 2-0 start in a decade.
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THREE UP
RB TONY JONES JR.
This is pretty self-explanatory. When a practice squad call-up gets thrust into a featured role and responds with a two-touchdown day, his stock skyrockets. It helps that it’s Tony Jones Jr., a player who knows the Saints’ system better than a lot of the young players on the roster. But don’t fool yourself into thinking his performance was ho-hum because of the 12 carries for 34 yards. This game was a slog from start to finish. Nothing was easy, but after Jamaal Williams went down with an injury, it seemed like the Saints’ initial plan was to pass their way out of it. That was a mistake, because it allowed the Panthers’ formidable pass rush to let loose and shut down any and everything the Saints offense tried to accomplish in the first half.
In the second? That’s when the script changed – at least for drives that didn’t start 3 yards from their own end zone. TJJ got the tough yards. He punched it into the end zone twice. They were short TDs. Again, I don’t care. Those moments are sure-thing TDs until they aren’t, and he made sure there was no stress. Both TD runs were on first down.
The Saints have one more week without Alvin Kamara. If Williams’ hamstring injury persists, they could be down to Jones and Kendre Miller in his rookie debut (he’s also missed two weeks with a hamstring injury), a converted WR in Kirk Merritt (who was inactive for this game) and Taysom Hill. All I know is that TJJ suddenly seems like a viable option. I don’t know if there’s a spot on the active roster for him, considering you can only carry so many RBs. But he got his chance and he delivered. I’m a fan.
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WR CHRIS OLAVE
We talked about it all offseason: Chris Olave is fantastic, but can he get stronger? Can he become elite in more areas than just route-running? Can he win contested catches while battling through contact. Well, we saw the ultimate version of that today, with Olave going out with one hand, fighting through uncalled pass interference (seriously, what the heck?) and hauling in a one-handed grab that will almost certainly land in Tuesday’s SC Top 10.
It was such an incredible grab that I’m even willing to overlook the space-cadet decision to get up and spike the ball when it didn’t appear he had been touched. Fortunately the ball bounced out of bounds, but it was dangerously close to being one of the most boneheaded turnovers you’ll ever see. In the end it was no harm, no foul. Olave is exactly the beast the Saints need him to be. Now, his fantasy owners would probably appreciate him having slightly better sideline awareness so he could’ve netted a touchdown on his day, but oddly it helped his team because they scored a touchdown anyway while burning more clock.
As long as this receiver group stays healthy, this team will be difficult to beat, particularly when they get to face some of the lesser defenses in the league.
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THE DEFENSIVE LINE
I was initially going to give this to Carl Granderson, but I’ll take the copout, because the entire defensive line has been dominant. They pestered Bryce Young all night without the need for extra rushers, they corralled him in space when he broke the pocket, they forced multiple turnovers (even if one got negated by penalty).
Carl Granderson and Nathan Shepherd each had a sack and two QB hits a piece. Bryan Bresee had a QB hit, and there were likely double-digit pressures. In a game where the goal was to shut down the run and force Bryce Young to beat you with his arm, the Saints were able to do just that, limiting the talented duo of Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard to just 59 yards on 16 carries.
This is a confident team right now. The defense went nearly 8 full quarters without allowing a touchdown, and the one they did allow was in garbage time. We always knew this team could cover, but even the best secondaries can be made to look silly when the QB has all day to throw the ball. That doesn’t look like it will be the case very often, as long as this group stays on the field together.
HONORABLE MENTION: WR Rashid Shaheed; QB Taysom Hill; WR Michael Thomas
Two weeks. Two wins. Two dagger deep shots to Rashid Shaheed up the sideline. It’s remarkable, and he’s only going to keep getting better. The Saints are lucky to have him. Shaheed finished this game with 4 catches (on 4 targets) for 63 yards. This season he's caught 9 of 10 targets. That's wild. … For Taysom Hill, I was curious about his limited usage in Week 1, but I felt like it had something to do with his injury limiting the amount he could be incorporated into the Week 1 gameplan. That clearly wasn’t an issue this time. Hill took QB snaps early and often. He handed the ball off. He even threw a pass. But it was his running that truly helped open things up for the Saints. He was the leading rusher in the game with 75 yards on his 9 attempts. He’ll continue to be a major piece for this offense. ... The last name I'll pump up is Michael Thomas, who continues to look more and more like himself. I expected a bit more, but the offense was bogged down in the first half and other things were hitting in the second. But another 7 catches for 55 yards. If he played 17 games at that pace, he'd finish the season with 102 catches and 986 yards. For now, every productive game is a win.
Related
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THREE DOWN
P LOU HEDLEY
Oof. Not a banner day for the rookie. It’s possible that Blake Grupe has just ruined the curve for what is reasonable to expect out of rookie specialist, but regardless, Lou has got to be better. The rugby-style kicks are never going to look as smooth as you want them, and that’s by design. It’s about misdirection and making the returner uncomfortable.
That said, when the misdirection results in a shank that allows for a short field early in the game … that’s a problem. Late in the game with a chance to pin the Panthers deep, he sailed the ball into the end zone. This game always felt in hand, but those opportunities kept things a lot closer than it should’ve been.
I won’t be too hard on Lou. He might be 30, but he’s still a rookie. He’ll get better, and he has to – because those types of mistakes can and will be a lot more costly in games down the road.
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CB PAULSON ADEBO
I always have a difficult time filling out these stock down players without the benefit of watching film, and often I’ll err toward the players who frustrated me throughout the game. That was Paulson Adebo in this one. Generally speaking I thought he held up well in coverage and Bryce Young was left searching for people to throw to all day.
That said, one of the biggest issues for Adebo to this point in his career is getting a bit too handsy and drawing penalties at inopportune moments. That happened in this one on a 3rd and 10 where the Saints forced a fumble that Bryan Bresee recovered. It was a play that would have set the Saints up for a back-breaking score. But wait, there’s laundry on the field. Defensive holding on 29 … automatic first down. Oof. He drew another penalty that helped extend a scoring drive late in the game. I think Adebo is a heck of a cover corner and he was always my pick on the outside, but he’s got to be better at avoiding costly penalties.
QB DEREK CARR
Derek Carr always seems to show up when it counts, and in two games as the Saints QB he’s managed to bounce back from tough first half performances with big throws in big moments to clinch a pair of wins. He, again, managed to find Rashid Shaheed on a deep ball late in the game that truly iced things.
But man, does it always have to be this much of a grind? The protection was improved today, but it still wasn’t where it needs to be. That’s not all Carr’s fault. But this stock down grade goes to the decision-making, because for the second week in a row Carr has made a inexplicable decision that resulted in an easy interception late in the first half.
This time it happened deep in Saints territory and set up what would’ve been at least three points had Carl Granderson not gotten the ball back with a strip of Bryce Young a few plays later.
I think Carr will be fine, and in situations where he isn’t constantly running for his life I’m sure he’ll dial things in. But if the margin is going to be this narrow – as it often is in the NFL – those bad picks need to disappear.
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Dishonorable mention: TE Jimmy Graham; the OL again
It’s pretty simple when it comes to Jimmy Graham. When your only real impact on the game is a costly holding penalty, that’s a problem. We’re still waiting to see the vision for the big guy in this offense. But right now, it sure is feeling like an extra RB would be more beneficial than the extra TE. There’s still time, but the early returns on the return haven’t been optimal. … I’m putting the OL here, because while I think there were steps forward, there’s still a long way to go. But I’m also not going to call out any individual member of the OL until I can get a better look at exactly what happened. It seemed like Trevor Penning handled things better this time, but the interior line doesn’t seem to be holding up. I think it’s vital that this group finds a way to run the ball. When they can’t, bad things happen.
All that said. 2-0 babay. About dang time.