New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons: Full Report Card Grades for New Orleans
The New Orleans Saints opened their 2014 season with a gut-wrenching 37-34 overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
The Saints and Falcons went back and forth all afternoon, as both offenses took full advantage of their talented skill players and combined for over 1,000 yards of offense.
After New Orleans won the toss to open the extra period, a Marques Colston fumble set up Matt Bryant’s 52-yard, game-winning field goal.
The loss was the Saints’ first to their divisional rivals since 2012 and just their fourth loss to Atlanta in the teams’ last 17 meetings.
For New Orleans, the story of the game was defense—or its lack thereof. Coordinator Rob Ryan’s unit yielded an eye-popping 568 yards of offense, including 448 through the air.
Offensively, the Saints looked to be in midseason form, as quarterback Drew Brees dueled with Atlanta signal-caller Matt Ryan.
Brees finished with 333 passing yards, but it was the play of rookie wideout Brandin Cooks that turned heads in this season opener. The 2014 first-round draft choice hauled in seven catches for 77 yards and a touchdown, as the Saints showcased his diverse skill set in a variety of ways.
Despite New Orleans’ solid offensive showing, Ryan and the Falcons' passing attack were too strong for the Saints to overcome.
Head coach Sean Payton’s club will head into Week 2 already sitting in an 0-1 hole with a loss to a divisional rival.
Here are the Saints' report card grades for their opening-game loss to the Falcons, complete with a final grade on the last slide.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Despite missing the bulk of the preseason, Drew Brees was his usual, efficient self in this contest, as he repeatedly led the Saints on long touchdown marches.
He was effective from the pocket and spread the ball around to a host of receiving targets.
More importantly, however, Brees and the New Orleans offense were under constant pressure to answer Atlanta's scoring drives and match Ryan and the Falcons offense. More often than not, Brees answered the bell, demonstrating poise and leadership under challenging circumstances and reeling off 10 straight completions at one point.
Brees did throw an interception into tight coverage in the end zone late in the third quarter, as he was picked off by Atlanta cornerback Robert McClain while forcing a throw to Cooks.
Considering the poor defensive play at his back, however, Brees shouldn’t receive an abundance of blame for being a little aggressive. The Saints offense was under constant pressure to score in the second half, and it usually delivered.
Grade: A-
Running Back
2 of 10
The Saints tallied a respectable 139 rushing yards on the day, averaging 5.0 yards per carry.
Mark Ingram staked his claim as the Saints’ primary between-the-tackles ball-carrier, as the fourth-year back churned out 60 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. He finished off runs with authority while running with a violent disposition throughout the game.
Pierre Thomas, meanwhile, demonstrated his value to the Saints offense with a solid all-around performance. New Orleans utilized the veteran in both the passing attack and the ground game, as he racked up yards and first downs on draws and delayed releases out of the backfield.
Thomas totaled 89 yards on the day, with 58 coming through the air.
Khiry Robinson turned in a better showing than he did all preseason, ripping off a 21-yard run on his first carry of the game.
Grade: A-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Jimmy Graham was as reliable as ever, and the Falcons had no answer for him in the short passing game. He didn’t rack up many yards after the catch, however, as the Atlanta defenders did an excellent job of keeping him in front of them for much of the game.
Marques Colston—minus the overtime fumble—also enjoyed a respectable outing, as he went over 100 receiving yards on five catches.
As far as the New Orleans passing game goes, however, Cooks stole the show. The rookie made catches in traffic and showed impressive burst, and it became apparent from the beginning that he’ll play a key role in the Saints offense in 2014 and beyond.
The Saints' other receivers were nowhere to be found, though, and they often had trouble getting separation against Atlanta’s improved secondary.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Like the rest of the offensive position groups, the Saints' offensive line delivered a solid performance.
Brees was provided with ample time to throw most of the day, and Atlanta failed to register a sack in the contest. The rushing attack also benefited from the group’s steady play, as New Orleans’ ball-carriers were given running room on a consistent basis.
Tackle Terron Armstead enjoyed a nice outing in just his fifth NFL start, showcasing his athleticism with his downfield blocking on several plays.
Jahri Evans, Ben Grubbs and Co. also turned in a quality showing from a penalty standpoint, which was an improvement after a mistake-ridden preseason.
Grade: A-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The New Orleans defensive line was expected to be a huge strength in 2014, but the unit got off to a rough start against Atlanta.
Simply put, the group failed to pressure the quarterback. The team’s only sack on the day was registered by reserve lineman Tyrunn Walker.
With New Orleans’ secondary struggling to keep up with the Falcons’ talented wideouts, the Saints needed to generate pressure on Ryan in order to have a shot at slowing down the Atlanta offense. Thanks in part to a stellar performance from the Falcon offensive line, this never happened—and the Saints paid the price.
The New Orleans defensive front wasn’t great in run support either, as the Falcons’ pass-heavy offense did what it needed to on the ground.
Grade: D
Linebacker
6 of 10
The Saints yielded the second-most yards in a single game in the history of the franchise on Sunday. When something like that happens, it’s safe to assume that no specific position group on a defensive unit played well.
Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne led all Saints tacklers with 10 and eight stops, respectively, but statistics don’t tell the full story.
If the Saints' secondary was awful and the defensive line bad, the New Orleans linebackers were ineffective.
Lofton and Hawthorne failed to shed blocks when they needed to the most, as the Falcons mounted scoring drive after scoring drive.
Then there’s Junior Galette, who had what could’ve been the quietest four-tackle performance in football history. Much was expected of the man who registered 12 sacks in 2013, but he’ll obviously be waiting until at least Week 2 to live up to his preseason billing.
Grade: C-
Secondary
7 of 10
New acquisition Jairus Byrd made a huge play with a forced fumble of Julio Jones, who appeared headed for the end zone off a screen pass in the first quarter.
Other than that, Sunday’s performance by the New Orleans defensive backfield was a total failure.
Cornerbacks Corey White and Patrick Robinson appeared completely outmatched for the entirety of the contest against the likes of Jones, Roddy White, Harry Douglas and Devin Hester. Even the reliable Keenan Lewis struggled in coverage, which is a rare occurrence.
Kenny Vaccaro made four tackles from his safety spot, but he was largely a non-factor in the game. In an offensive shootout where a premium is placed on big plays in the secondary, being a non-factor simply won’t suffice.
Grade: F
Special Teams
8 of 10
After a poor preseason performance, the Saints' kick coverage units were serviceable on Sunday. Atlanta return man Devin Hester only returned one kickoff for 21 yards, and he managed a grand total of one yard on a single punt return.
Much of the credit is due to Saints punter Thomas Morstead, who averaged just over 50 yards on two punts.
Kicker Shayne Graham was a perfect 2-for-2 on field goals, including a 50-yarder.
Travaris Cadet had one impressive kick return that went for 34 yards, while Cooks didn’t have an opportunity to return a punt in his first NFL outing.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
The Saints' offensive coaching staff appeared on top of its game for much of the contest, as New Orleans racked up 472 yards and put 34 points on the board.
The defensive coaching staff, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have its unit properly prepared for the high-octane Atlanta offense.
Whether in press-man or soft zone coverage, New Orleans had no answer for the Falcons' passing game. Missed tackles and terrible pass coverage plagued the group all day, and major improvements must be made in the coming weeks.
Grade: C
Final Grade
10 of 10
When a team’s offensive and defensive units perform at opposite ends of the spectrum, giving a team a single final grade seems a bit unfair.
Such is the nature of professional football, however, and the Saints suffered a defeat in a key contest on Sunday thanks in large to an abysmal defensive performance.
The New Orleans offense may have been efficient, but it wasn’t perfect, and this loss is pinned on the entire squad.
Granted, the game was on the road against a highly motivated divisional rival, but at the end of the day, the Saints are 0-1.
Final Grade: C
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