Saints vs. Steelers: Full Report Card Grades for New Orleans
For the first time in four weeks, the New Orleans Saints tasted victory on Sunday, as they marched into Heinz Field and took down the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-32.
New Orleans entered the game having suffered three straight defeats at home, and a road trip proved to be good medicine for coach Sean Payton’s club.
With the win, New Orleans improved to 5-7 on the season and kept pace with the Atlanta Falcons in the race for the NFC South title.
Despite a slow start, the Saints amassed nearly 400 yards of offense on the day. Quarterback Drew Brees tossed five touchdown passes, and running back Mark Ingram balanced things out with a solid day on the ground.
While the New Orleans offense was slow getting out of the starting blocks, the defense did its part in the early going. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s unit yielded 538 total yards to the Steelers’ high-powered offense, but the group kept quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Co. out of the end zone until late in the third quarter.
Pittsburgh found a rhythm late in the game against the Saints' prevent defense, scoring two late touchdowns and converting on two consecutive two-point conversions, but it was too little, too late at that point.
Continue reading for full report card grades for each New Orleans position unit.
Quarterback
1 of 10
For the ninth time in his career, Drew Brees tossed five touchdown passes in a game, and he led a highly efficient New Orleans offense.
Brees completed 19 of 27 passes on the afternoon for 257 yards, and he led the Saints to touchdowns on five out of six drives at one point in the game.
He spread the ball around to nine different receivers, and surprisingly, not one of them was named Jimmy Graham.
The Saints signal-caller was effective in the short passing game, and he was also accurate with the deep ball, as he connected with Kenny Stills for long completions of 44 and 69 yards.
Brees’ most impressive number of the day, however, was zero, as in zero interceptions. He’s posted big numbers all season long, but his 11 picks have hurt his team in crucial situations. This didn’t happen on Sunday. Brees protected the football while also leading the Saints offense down the field in aggressive fashion.
When he plays like he did on Sunday, New Orleans will always be a tough out.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
While Brees was leading the Saints' air attack, Mark Ingram once again proved his worth as a featured ball-carrier.
The fourth-year back turned in his fourth 100-yard rushing performance of the season as he churned out 122 yards on 23 carries.
He ran with intensity while also displaying impressive vision, and as usual, he fought for every yard.
Ingram didn’t reach the end zone, but he once again provided the New Orleans offense with much-needed balance.
Pierre Thomas contributed three carries for 21 yards, and he was also a factor in the passing game with two receptions for 16 yards.
Fullback Erik Lorig opened holes for Ingram when the Saints operated out of the I formation, and he scored the Saints’ second touchdown of the afternoon with a four-yard scoring catch on an out route.
Brees and the New Orleans passing game wouldn’t have been nearly as efficient without a potent ground attack, and for that, the Saints running backs deserves some praise.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
With rookie standout Brandin Cooks on injured reserve, someone had to step in and pick up the slack in the New Orleans wide receiving corps.
Kenny Stills' play proved he was up to the challenge, as he delivered his best performance yet in a Saints uniform.
The second-year wideout enjoyed an exceptional outing, and his 162 receiving yards were good for a career-high. His 69-yard touchdown reception was one of the game's key plays, and it gave the Saints a two-score lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Marques Colston and Nick Toon also got in on the action with a touchdown catch apiece. Toon’s scoring play was especially impressive, as he battled his way through multiple Pittsburgh defenders and into the end zone after a catching a short pass from Brees.
Tight end Benjamin Watson gave the Saints their first touchdown of the game with a 15-yard scoring reception in the second quarter, and he contributed to the ground attack with his effective blocking.
Noticeably absent from the Saints offense was Jimmy Graham, who not only didn’t catch a pass but wasn’t even so much as targeted. The Saints apparently didn’t need their All-Pro tight end in order to beat the Steelers, but his absence from the passing attack was perplexing.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The New Orleans offensive line turned in a satisfactory performance against Pittsburgh, and it opened holes for Ingram throughout his successful rushing performance.
The group got off to somewhat of a rocky start, however, as Brees was under duress early in the game. He was sacked only once, but he took a bone-jarring hit in the first quarter and was slow getting up.
On the Saints’ fourth possession, however, the unit started to take control. Once the New Orleans offense reached paydirt in the second quarter, this group never looked back.
Grade: B+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The New Orleans defensive line wasn’t great against Pittsburgh, but the group benefited from the performance of one outstanding player.
Defensive end Cameron Jordan was a man on fire, and his play was a big reason the Saints were able to get separation on the Steelers in the second half.
The former first-round pick made a superb play in the third quarter, when he batted a Ben Roethlisberger pass into the air and then snagged it for an interception. The pick gave the Saints great field position, and they went on to score and open up a 21-6 lead.
Jordan later rejected another pass at the line of scrimmage, and he also registered the Saints’ only sack of the day.
While Jordan was outstanding, the rest of the Saints defensive line was average.
Akiem Hicks, Tyrunn Walker and Brandon Deaderick totaled three tackles between them, and while John Jenkins rang up five stops, he was taken out of the play on a number of occasions.
Thanks to the heroics of Jordan, however, this group receives a solid grade.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
6 of 10
Saints inside linebackers Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne were highly active on Sunday, and they each rang up 10 tackles while playing a physical brand of football for the majority of the contest.
The duo struggled in pass coverage, however, as Pittsburgh running back Le’Veon Bell finished with 159 yards receiving on eight catches. Granted, Bell piled up yards when the Saints were in prevent mode near the game’s end, but he was still quite the handful in the intermediate passing game, as was Heath Miller.
On the outside, Junior Galette was solid, and he delivered two hits on Roethlisberger while applying consistent pressure.
Parys Haralson and Kasim Edebali, meanwhile, were rather quiet, and they contributed a total of three tackles between them.
Grade: C
Secondary
7 of 10
Roethlisberger finished with 435 passing yards, but it took him 58 attempts to do it. And much of the yardage was accumulated when the game was out of reach.
Patrick Robinson dropped a couple of would-be interceptions that couldn’t have been handed to him any better, and one of them would’ve been easily returned for a score. Still, the heavily criticized corner broke up three passes on the day, which led all Saints defenders.
Keenan Lewis was his usual reliable self in coverage, although he gave up a late touchdown to Brown while the Saints were in a prevent defense.
Corey White was beaten a couple of times, but he didn’t give up any particularly damaging plays.
Kenny Vaccaro, meanwhile, came down with a big interception in the end zone on an errant throw by Roethlisberger, giving the Saints a much-needed defensive play in the second quarter. Vaccaro also missed some tackles, however, and he was called for two personal fouls on Pittsburgh’s final drive that helped lead to points for the Steelers.
The Saints didn’t perform terribly in the secondary, but 435 yards is 435 yards, and that isn’t good either.
Grade: C-
Special Teams
8 of 10
New Orleans didn’t have any punt returns or field goals in the contest, but the Saints did give up a 41-yard kickoff return to Markus Wheaton.
The ever-dangerous Antonio Brown was held in check by the Saints' punt coverage unit, and Thomas Morstead dropped two New Orleans punts inside the 20 while averaging over 48 yards per kick.
Travaris Cadet had a satisfactory outing as a kickoff returner, as he averaged 25 yards per return.
The Steelers' lone onside kick attempt darted right through Jimmy Graham’s legs, thus providing the perfect ending to the Saint tight end’s uncharacteristically hollow outing. Fortunately for New Orleans, the kick went out of bounds, and the Saints were allowed to burn some clock.
Grade: C
Coaching
9 of 10
Offensively, the Saints were a step ahead of the Steelers on Sunday. For one of the few times this year, Sean Payton’s offense resembled the unit that has struck terror in opposing defenses for the better part of the past nine seasons.
From a balance standpoint, Payton called a nearly even game, as he mixed 27 pass attempts in with 26 runs. The Saints also utilized the entire field in the passing game, as Brees spread the ball around with short, intermediate and deep throws.
Defensively, Rob Ryan called a safe game, as the Saints mixed up their coverages in the secondary and varied the looks they gave Roethlisberger.
Some Saints fans probably grew nervous when the Steelers scored two late touchdowns against the prevent New Orleans defense, but the fact remains that the Saints were up three scores with seven minutes to go. New Orleans made Pittsburgh use up lots of clock as the Steelers slowly moved down the field, and in the end, the Saints were able to ring up an impressive road victory.
Grade: B
Final Grade
10 of 10
The Saints weren’t given much of a chance heading into this one, and yet they somehow found a way to go into Pittsburgh and earn a huge win.
Brees led the way with his five-touchdown performance, but every position unit on the New Orleans team contributed in some way to this important victory.
The end result was an upset victory over a solid Pittsburgh squad in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. The fact that it happened on the road in a difficult place to play made it all the more impressive.
It wasn’t always pretty, but the Saints’ position units complemented each other well on Sunday, and this team deserves recognition for a big win.
Final Grade: B+
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