After posting one of the greatest wins in franchise history against the Colts, the Saints pulled a Jekyll and Hyde, falling to the lowly St. Louis Rams, 31 to 21. The grades this week aren’t going to be pretty.
Pass Offense: D
Brees was pedestrian at best, posting 269 yards on an average Rams defense. His only touchdown came during a garbage-time 4th quarter when the game was already out of hand. The recipient of that score, Lance Moore, did have a decent game, catching 7 passes for 74 yards. Jimmy Graham was pretty much absent, only amassing 4 catches for 39 yards. The real issue in the passing game this week, however, was the offensive line play. Brees was sacked 6 times, which, in part, led to 2 costly interceptions. Not a good day at all for the Saints passing the football.
Run Offense: F
The Saints didn’t seem to even want to try to run the ball, despite facing a team that ranked dead last against the run in the league going into the game. The Saints’ top rusher? Pierre Thomas with 23 yards. That’s right. 23 yards. Whether it was scheme, poor line play, or just horrible play calling, the running game was simply non-existent.
Pass Defense: C+
Statistically speaking, the Saints did decently against the might A.J. Feeley on Sunday, limiting him to under 200 yards and only 1 touchdown. Newly acquired Brandon Lloyd was the Rams’ top receiver, catching 6 passes for 53 yards, along with the touchdown. Feeley was sacked 4 times by the Saints, two of which came from Will Smith. Overall, not a bad performance from New Orleans when against the pass.
Run Defense: F
Steven Jackson ran all over the hapless Saints run defense, contributing 159 yards on 25 carries and 2 touchdowns. Jackson was absolutely dominant against the Saints, seemly gaining positive yards every time he touched the ball. New Orleans defenders seemed to shy away from the 6-2, 240 pound Jackson. Although Jackson is a top notch NFL back, the Saints seemed ill-prepared to stop him, even after halftime.
Special Teams: B+
Thomas Morstead might have been the most consistent player on the field for New Orleans on Sunday, averaging 40.3 yards per punt. This grade would have been an A if not for the missed John Kasay field goal. Even with that miscue, special teams continues to be the most consistent unit on the field for the Saints, week after week.
Coaching: F-
I’m not even sure that F- is a real grade. I don’t care. There was no coaching for the Saints on Sunday on either side of the ball. Offensively, the Saints abandoned the run way too early on. Even with Mark Ingram out, the Saints should have at least looked like they were interested in running the ball, even just to take some pressure off of Brees, who was running for his life for the majority of the game. The absolutely atrocious offensive line made Rams DE Chris Long look like his dad on old NFL Films highlight clips. Brees is still an elite NFL quarterback, but even the best cannot be effective when defenders are in the backfield almost immediately (see Superbowl XLII).
Defensively, I have no idea what Gregg Williams was thinking. You’re facing A.J. Feeley, Gregg. They are giving Steven Jackson the ball. A lot. Might want to try focusing in on Jackson and making Feeley try to win the game. Aside from the Brandon Lloyd touchdown, Feeley wasn’t really a huge difference-maker. He managed the game well, letting Jackson take over. The defense never made the adjustment, allowing Jackson to continue to be a factor late. Bad coaching all around might have been the biggest reason why the Saints looked so flat.
Bottom Line
No matter what any Saints player has said, New Orleans simply overlooked the lowly St. Louis Rams. After demolishing Indianapolis a week earlier, the Saints fully expected another blow out. Frankly, I did too. That’s human nature. The old adage of “any given Sunday”, however, is still one that carries water. The Rams, albeit a one-win team, are still a professional outfit. They still have talented players. Hopefully, the Saints will use this game as a teaching moment that reminds them that they are still vulnerable to defeat every week, even when facing the league’s bottom feeders.
