The New Orleans Saints desperately needed a win after a trying week that included a coaching change and a star player traded away. That's exactly what they got.
It wasn't always pretty, but that's not what counts. At the end of the day the scoreboard read Saints 20, Falcons 17. The losing streak is dead. Darren Rizzi ball is here.
With all that mind, here are my stock up and stock down players after a much-needed win over the Falcons.
━━
THREE UP
Team leader AK
Alvin Kamara was named a team captain this week, and as his teammates put it: That was the most "duh" decision of all time.
AK is a leader of this team, even if he does it in his own special way. Alvin doesn't know how to be anyone but Alvin. He's unique and he does unique things. For example, I'm not sure you'd find many players who would walk up the postgame podium shirtless and wearing a towel. That's what AK did after this game. He never addressed it, just another interview for the franchise's all-time rushing leader.
This certainly wasn't Alvin's most efficient game on the ground. He managed just 55 yards on 17 carries (3.2 YPC), but he also pitched in 54 yards through the air, including a vintage 31-yard gain on a screen where he calmly picked his way through the defense. He's a constant threat whether he gets the ball or not.
Alvin is having a career year at age 29, typically viewed as a cliff age for production at the running back position. If he's slowing down, I don't know where you'd be seeing it.
But it's about more than that. It's about leading by example. It's about bringing this team's culture back to winning football after such a dreadful, extended bout of losing football. We hear the term "Saints football" thrown around a lot. Alvin is as "Saints football" as anyone on this roster. That's what makes him so important.
You don't get back to Saints football by faking it. You have to be about it. You have to understand it. You have to do it. You have to hold people accountable. You have to be honest.
That's what Alvin does. That's who Alvin is. Perhaps that's why he's gravitated to Darren Rizzi and a similarly "real" personality in this trying season. AK isn't running from the challenge. He signed an extension that means the only way is through. I can't think of anyone better to lead that charge.
━━
Big-play defense
What made the Saints' 7-game losing streak particularly frustrating is that we saw this exact type of game play out multiple times. The Saints offense had previously pinned the team to a lead and asked the defense to stand up, but they couldn't.
The Saints led in the 4th quarter against the Eagles, Falcons and Panthers. The Saints lost all three games. The big plays that were needed, they were not made.
That certainly wasn't the case today. When the defense needed to stand up, it stood up. Late in the first half with the Falcons threatening to score a momentum-swinging touchdown before halftime, it was Payton Turner who broke through for his second strip sack of Kirk Cousins this season.
Sure, the right tackle got tripped by his teammate and created the free rush. I don't care, it was a big play in a big moment (and getting a big hit on the QB without getting flagged is quite a feat these days). The ensuing field goal attempt was blocked by John Ridgeway.
In the 4th quarter with the Falcons driving for a potential tying FG or go-ahead touchdown, it was Cam Jordan bullrushing the left tackle back into Cousins' lap for his first sack of the season. The play ultimately forced the Falcons to attempt a long field goal, which doinked off the upright.
On the next drive it was Tyrann Mathieu's turn. On 2nd and 7 with the Falcons driving again, the Honey Badger took what he wanted. He read a ball over the middle of the field targeting Drake London and came down with his 36th career interception with less than 2 minutes to play.
Oh, you thought that'd be enough? Nope. The Falcons got the ball back for one more drive. This time it was Chase Young's turn. The big guy blew up the right tackle and stripped the ball away from Kirk Cousins, forcing Atlanta to use its final timeout and effectively ending the game a few plays later with the clock expiring.
There were plenty more defensive moments to highlight, but you get the idea. You don't need to lock down on every play. You do need to show up in the big moments. That's what team leaders like Demario Davis preached all week. That's what the Saints did in this game. That's why they won this game.
━━
MVS
Oh hey, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, it's nice to have you around.
The Saints wanted to bring MVS in ahead of the 2022 season. He landed with the Chiefs and went on to win back-to-back Super Bowls. We got a taste of the impact the Saints were looking for in this game, with three catches for 109 yards and a pair of touchdown that effectively swung the result.
The first was a 40-yard touchdown grab with Falcons stars AJ Terrell, Justin Simmons and Jesse Bates all chasing in coverage. It was a particularly impressive throw from Derek Carr who fit the ball in over all three defenders. Big play, big touchdown, the Saints were in business early.
Oh, but they weren't done. On the next possession it was single coverage, and Carr didn't wait around. He hurled the ball 50 yards in the air as he got hit and found MVS, who had burned his defender for what went down as a 67-yard catch and run.
It would've been better if he could've kept his feet inbounds, but it was only fitting that he got rewarded a few plays later with a short touchdown in the back of the end zone.
The New Orleans Saints aren't getting Rashid Shaheed back this season. It seems likely that they won't be getting Chris Olave back, either. Other guys will have to step up, and the connection between Carr and MVS could bode well in a league where offenses seem less and less confident in pushing the ball downfield. And as Carr put it after the game, he's pretty good at throwing to fast guys, he's done it his whole career.
━━
A FEW MORE
Kevin Austin Jr. got his opportunity in this game as a practice squad elevation and he definitely took advantage. He caught both of his targets, the first an athletic grab for a first down on third and long. The second he did a nice job of settling into a zone for a 22-yard catch and run. One thing that stands out about Kevin is he's got an elite build for an NFL receiver, and the speed isn't bad, either. He had some really nice moments in camp and Carr will have some familiarity with him. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being a big part of this thing the rest of the way. ... Ugo Amadi is starting in the slot with Alontae Taylor shifting outside and I will admit I was a bit concerned how it would go. I shouldn't have been. He's aggressive. He makes tackles. He battles in coverage. It's not going to be perfect every time, but it's a position he's suited for and keeps getting better in. He had nine total tackles, ranking just behind Demario Davis' 10 and a pass defensed, but it's the three TFLs that stand out. Really solid day for him. ... Blake Grupe wasn't asked to do a ton from distance in this game, but he knocked through both field goal attempts and PATs. He's now 18-19 on FG attempts this season (94.7%).
━━
THREE DOWN
Alontae hype train
Let me start by saying: This isn't me quitting on Alontae Taylor, and I don't think he had a terrible game.
All that said, we saw in this game that there's still some work to do before we can declare Taylor a true No. 1 outside corner (which I still believe he will be). What makes this game particularly frustrating is I feel like he did the difficult stuff very well, but he couldn't finish things off.
That was the case on a long ball to Darnell Mooney in the 2nd quarter that I still can't figure out how it got through. Taylor had the former Tulane standout blanketed but the ball found a way past his arm for a 33-yard gain.
There was a similar play to Kyle Pitts in the second half on a third and 10. Again, it looked like Taylor was exactly where he needed to be. This time it appeared that he lost his footing and the ball was completed. Bijan Robinson went in for a touchdown from 37 yards out on the next play.
We saw a similar situation in L.A. when Taylor had Ladd McConkey sized up in coverage, but the ball was completed anyway. It's now a trend that needs to be corrected.
There were also a pair of pass interference flags thrown Taylor's way, one for 13 and the other for 16 yards, both in coverage of Mooney. The second was the most frustrating because it was on 3rd and 2 and didn't have to happen. Taylor was in perfect position, all he had to do was wall off and get his head around for the ball and there was really no chance for a completion with Mooney drifting out of bounds. Instead it's a free first down that keeps a drive alive.
Again, Alontae is doing the difficult things right, but he's not finishing. He's a young player who has spent the better part of the last two seasons working in the slot, we shouldn't expect things to go perfectly. I'd be a lot more concerned if the dude was getting burned. You can refine small details, you can't coach talent.
Talent is what Taylor has in full supply. The next step in his growth into a star CB is to make plays on the ball when they're there to be made. I think he gets there soon.
━━
Taysom usage
Taysom Hill has been nothing if not a Falcons killer. We know it. They know it. They still can't stop it.
Heck, the Saints' first offensive play of this game was an 88-yard catch and run for a touchdown that was nullified on a holding penalty downfield. He settled for a 34-yard gain. His next two touches went for 3 and 6 yards. Then he was stopped on 4th down and it felt like Klint Kubiak lost his nerve with the Taysom playbook.
That's the only explanation that makes sense to me. There was no injury as far as I know, the Saints just stopped going to him. Taysom caught a short pass with 5:33 to go in the first quarter, then didn't touch the ball again until inside the 2 minute warning of the 4th quarter. That run went for 4 yards on 2nd down.
In any other matchup I'd say, OK, fine. Maybe it was a gameplan thing. The Saints didn't sustain a ton of offense and their success was predicated on splash plays. But no, not against the Falcons. Not against the team Taysom has dominated like no other. It's not as if the Saints weren't running the ball, they were just slamming AK's head into a brick wall with little success. Why not throw a Taysom run or two into the mix?
In the end the Saints won so it's tough to be too critical, but New Orleans was clinging on for dear life in this one. They asked a defense that's folded late in multiple games to hold up too many times. The defense stood up, but that's not a winning scenario. I need more Taysom.
━━
AK's hands
We gave Kamara his props at the top of this column, but we can't overlook what AK himself referred to as the "lamest thing" he's ever done on a football field.
Yes, we're talking about the most wide-open drop you'll ever see on a play that would've punctuated a win with -- assuming he doesn't get chased down -- a 56-yard touchdown as he went uncovered on a wheel route. It was a great call. The Saints were leading by 3 and the defense had been on the field basically the entire 4th quarter, insurance would've been more than welcome.
Instead the Saints punted and the defense was asked to go out there one more time and they got the job done. If they'd folded in a similar situation we saw in Week 4, we'd be pointing to that Kamara drop as an example of the new and wild ways they've found to lose games this year.
AK's had a few uncharacteristic drops this year, and I've been giving him the excuse of playing with a broken hand. I don't think it was about the hand in this one, he just lost concentration. I'l like to think if he gets that type of opportunity again it'll be a house call.
