The New Orleans Saints did all they could in Week 18, and that included a 48-17 blowout. The season is over anyway, that's why you can't rely on help.
But still, there's plenty to talk about in this big, old, bizarre game, complete with a huge showing from the QB, a bizarre final touchdown, tirades and apologies. What more could you want?
With all that in mind, here are my stock up and stock down players from a blowout win that somehow still ended up filled with chaos and controversy.
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1. CARR AND HIS WEAPONS
There's been a lot of criticism of Derek Carr in Year 1 as the Saints quarterback, but he put on another masterclass over the past two weeks
46-60 (76.6%), 461 yards, 6 TDs, 0 INTs. This is the guy that Saints fans probably were expecting to see when the splash signing was made last offseason. We can call it too little, too late -- but this guy isn't going anywhere, so hopefully it's a sign of things to come.
The jury is still out for a guy who has just one playoff start in his career and won't be adding to that total this year, but the end of this season should at least offer positivity in the sense that he definitely exists. Can this be what we see from Week 1 of the 2024 season?
If so, another year working with a pair of elite WRs certainly should help, and that's what Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed are developing into, no question. It certainly wasn't a monster day for either, but it didn't have to be. They made their opportunities count.
Chris Olave had 3 catches for 56 yards, two that moved the chains in key moments, and another that went for an incredible, 26-yard touchdown where he tipped the ball up from behind the defender's helmet then hauled it in for the spectacular score.
The only thing that took some of the shine off of it was that this has become somewhat routine. His highlight reel for this season is littered with those types of catches. Still, he's unguardable and a superstar in the making.
Olave will be an even bigger problem when you consider the play across from him in Rashid Shaheed, who is still developing but the kind of weapon every NFL offense would love to have. Pure speed. Elite returner. Deep ball go-getter. He doesn't just catch deep balls, he attacks them, and he's got the hands to get it done.
Shaheed also had three catches, his going for 65 yards. On brand, his touchdown went over the top for a 39-yard bomb that he secured in traffic at the back of the end zone.
I think it's fair to expect changes on the offensive staff to some degree this offseason, but however it's structured, this group will be difficult to defend for a while.
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2. ROOKIE GROWTH
It's honestly a shame that we've had to spend so much of the aftermath of such an impressive win talking about a meaningless touchdown, because two young players had performances that should be heavily praised, and they happened while the game was still in question.
The most encouraging was the play of Kendre Miller, who returned from an ankle injury he's been trying to kick since Week 9. He was still battling the lingering issues, but showed no signs of it as he ran for 73 yards on 13 carries and showed the type of burst this offense has been looking for in the run game. His first career touchdown came on a play that was dead in the water until he made Jessie Bates miss and powered into the end zone in the 2nd quarter.
I've seen a lot of criticism of Kendre and the word bust has been thrown around, but when he's been on the field, we've seen stuff like this consistently. Saints RBs only have two plays this season of 30-plus yards, Kendre has both of them. He flashed RB1 potential today, no question.
On the outside it was another rookie in A.T. Perry who has continued to make his presence felt in the second half of the season. He caught three balls in this game for 53 yards, and all three were massive. The first was a red zone touchdown where he went up over A.J. Terrell for the score. The second was a 29-yard catch on a third down play from the shadow of the Saints' own goalposts. The third was an easy touchdown in the 4th quarter just moments after drawing a pass interference in the end zone.
The Saints have a lot of aging stars, but we're starting to see the youth movement take effect at the skill positions. Between Perry, Miller, Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave, I think we've got the new core group we'll be cheering on for quite a while.
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DEMARIO DAVIS IS ETERNAL
I keep waiting to see signs of a dropoff from Demario. Truly, I do. They don't exist. Sure, he's in his 30s and maybe there's some level of downhill, but the sideline to sideline range is still there.
Davis finished the game tied with Johnathan Abram for the team lead in tackles. He continues to be a tone-setter. There was a point in this game where it felt like Atlanta held the edge. They came out of halftime with the ball in a tie game and executed a throwback screen to Tyler Allgeier. It worked, all the back had to do was make one guy miss. Unfortunately for him that guy was Demario, and he wasn't missing. He stopped the play for a 1 yard loss.
Two plays later Desmond Ridder found himself in 3rd and 8 and threw the ball directly into Alontae Taylor's chest. Put Ridder in difficult situations and watch him make mistakes. That's the game plan. It worked. Demario helped you get there and he'll continue to help you get there.
In a feature that posted on NewOrleans.football earlier this week, Demario indicated that he intends to play for 2 years AFTER LeBron James retires. If you know anything about the NBA, you know LBJ is still going strong at age 38. Demario is still going strong at age xx, and don't expect that to change any time soon.
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HONORABLE MENTION
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1. GETTING A GRIP
This has been a strange season in a lot of ways for the Saints, and there have been a lot of potential signs of things not exactly going to plan. That's only partially in reference to some uneven performances and results.
It sure feels like there's been rifts forming, particularly as it pertains to veteran players who all seemed locked in to start the year. Where exactly have Marshon Lattimore and Mike Thomas gotten off to, for instance? I only ask because not only did both players not return from injuries that were not expected to be season-ending when the season was still in the balance, but their practice window was never even opened. Why not? Wouldn't you want to be ahead of the curve just in case there was a postseason visit? These guys couldn't even jog around for a limited practice? Something just seems off.
Still, that and several other similar themes and perceived infighting throughout the season are largely based on conjecture. Not so much in Week 18, when the Saints offense defied a direct order to kneel down in the final minutes of a blowout win and instead handed Jamaal Williams the ball for a touchdown. At first blush it was an odd decision, clearly violating some unwritten rules and setting Falcons head coach Arthur Smith off, but one that I think could've at least been spun in a way that endeared Dennis Allen to the fanbase. Instead he came out and slammed his players for the decision in an apparent move to save face with his fellow coaches at the expense of his own team.
It was unusual to say the least. To say the most, it's fair to question just how much of a grip the head coach has on a large contingent of his locker room, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Jameis Winston said it was a group decision, and maybe it was, but the ball was in his hand and he could've certainly vetoed the idea and put his knee on the ground. I have a suspicion that's what would've happened had Derek Carr still been in the game. But he wasn't, and the moment leaves an indelible mark on what otherwise would've been an encouraging, if not ultimately futile, blowout win to close out the season.
The Saints have a lot of decisions to make this offseason. You'd think a 48-17 win would create a positive sentiment surrounding many of them, and give ammunition for the run-it-back crowd. The team doesn't win in spite of its head coach, but it also seems to be actively spiting its head coach. That's not normal and questions have to be asked, if nothing else.
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2. SLOT-LONTAE TAYLOR
OK, that title is a bit weird, but you get the drift. It's odd to have a guy on this list in both positive and negative ways, but it's also hard not to point to a guy getting benched in two of the final three games as a pretty harsh negative for Alontae Taylor.
The interesting thing this time was that it happened in the first half, and with Isaac Yiadom going out with an injury, Alontae was needed at the outside corner spot for the first time all year. He responded and played well. But man, it's hard to not look at the shift into the slot as a largely failed experiment.
There have been some nice moments, and the ability to shift inside in a pinch is a useful skill for any outside corner to have, but there have also been some ugly moments. We saw that in L.A. when the Rams ran the Saints ragged with motions and shifts. We saw that today when Taylor took a couple bad angles in coverage, one of which set Bijan Robinson loose for a 71-yard TD that at the time felt like it was setting the Saints up for another frustrating day.
Things settled in. Alontae settled in. The Saints won in a blowout. But as we head into next season, it's hard not to see this as a scenario where you really need to be looking for a way to get your up-and-coming cover corner into a more suitable scenario. Does that mean moving on from Marshon Lattimore and going with Adebo and Alontae as your CB duo for the future? Maybe. That's a question for down the road. The question I think we've answered is that I don't want to waste any more time trying to turn the guy into something he's not, and that's in the slot.
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3. BULLY BALL
I love me some Jamaal Williams. He's one of my favorite players on this Saints roster. That said, man, this season simply didn't go well from start to finish.
The only reason the Saints were even in a scenario where a garbage time, feel good TD was even a consideration is that he hadn't had one all season. And it wasn't by accident. He's been ineffective, with a final line of 306 yards on 106 carries (2.9 yards per rush).
In this game he was the bellcow with Alvin Kamara out. He managed just 26 yards on 14 carries. It's even worse when you consider he broke an 8 yard run, meaning that on his 13 other carries it was 1.4 yards per carry. It's been disappointing, to say the least, and made even more pronounced by just how effective Kendre Miller was on a similar workload.
I expect Jamaal to be back next season, considering it'd cost money to cut him, but I sure hope the hamstring injury earlier in the year was a culprit in terms of what sapped him of the burst we saw in 2022. The gift TD only works once.
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DISHONORABLE MENTION
I usually reserve this column for Saints players and personnel, but Arthur Smith is going to land on here because ... grow the hell up. Really, dude? You just watched your team get dog-walked in a game that was probably going to decide your future, and you choose to throw a temper tantrum because of a late touchdown? Maybe consider what your team did all day and the fact that if you get brought back for a fourth 7-10 season, it'd be a mercy from the other Arthur. You don't want a touchdown scored on you? Talk to your defense.