Saints vs. Colts: New Orleans Grades, Notes and Quotes
The New Orleans Saints earned their first road win of the season Sunday, as they held off the Indianapolis Colts for a 27-21 victory.
New Orleans, which started the season 0-3, has now won two in a row and three of its last four. Coach Sean Payton’s club improved to 3-4 with the win, while the Colts (3-4) dropped their second straight contest to fall below .500.
New Orleans was led by its young but fast-improving defense. The Saints held the Colts to 75 yards rushing, and they snagged two interceptions from Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck.
Both offenses got off to a sluggish start, but the Saints made things exciting on their third possession of the game. After a second unsuccessful challenge of an on-field call, Payton dialed up a fake field goal and caught the Colts napping.
With the Saints in kicking formation, holder and backup quarterback Luke McCown picked up the ball and hit tight end Benjamin Watson for a 25-yard pickup on the play. Khiry Robinson finished off the drive with a one-yard plunge to give the Saints a 7-0 lead.
On the Colts’ ensuing possession, New Orleans rookie linebacker Stephone Anthony intercepted Luck, and after a second Robinson touchdown run, the Saints held a 14-0 advantage.
Another rookie linebacker, Hau’oli Kikaha got in on the action next for New Orleans, as he stripped Griff Whalen on the kickoff. Kyle Wilson recovered the loose ball, and the Saints promptly went 27 yards in three plays for another score. Michael Hoomanawanui capped off the drive with a 16-yard touchdown reception from Drew Brees.
Newly acquired kicker Kai Forbath missed the extra-point attempt, however, and the Saints led 20-0 at the half.
New Orleans increased its lead to 27 points early in the third quarter with a Mark Ingram touchdown run and the point after, but the momentum would swing in the Colts' favor shortly thereafter.
Indianapolis got two touchdowns off downfield throws from Luck to T.Y. Hilton, as Saints cornerback Delvin Breaux tripped and fell down on both scoring plays.
The Colts trimmed the lead to six points late in the fourth quarter on a Donte Moncrief touchdown reception. A back-shoulder throw from Brees to Marques Colston for a late first down clinched it for New Orleans, however, and the Saints were able to run out the clock and escape with a win.
Continue reading for a closer look at this Week 7 matchup, complete with grades, notes and quotes for New Orleans.
Grades
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| QB | B |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | B |
| OL | A- |
| DL | A- |
| LB | A- |
| DB | B+ |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | B |
Offense
Drew Brees led the Saints offense, completing 28 of 44 passes for 255 yards and a score. He also tossed a third-quarter interception in the back of the end zone to Vontae Davis, however, and New Orleans came away with no points after a 72-yard drive on a key possession.
Although Colston could be partially to blame for the pick, Brees had several other throws that were somewhat off the mark by his standards. The Saints signal-caller had a nice outing on the whole, though, and he made some crucial completions down the stretch that helped seal the game for the visitors.
While the New Orleans passing game did its part, it was the running backs and offensive line who played with something to prove.
Mark Ingram galloped for 143 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, while Khiry Robinson powered across the goal line for two scores.
New Orleans had entered the contest with the NFL’s No 31-ranked rush offense, averaging just over 84 yards per game on the ground. The Saints offensive linemen fired out and cleared holes for Ingram and Robinson in impressive fashion for much of the game, and the result was a 183-yard rushing total for Payton’s offense.
New Orleans went into a lull offensively when Indianapolis made its run late in the third quarter, but Brees and Co. were able to regroup and get some key first downs with the game on the line.
Brandin Cooks led the Saints receivers with 81 yards on six catches, including a huge 47-yard reception on a deep sideline route with the Saints backed up near their own end zone in the fourth quarter.
Defense
New Orleans came into this one ranked dead last in the league in total defense, but coordinator Rob Ryan’s unit answered the bell Sunday and turned in its most complete performance of the season.
The Saints took care of their first order of business when they limited Indianapolis running back Frank Gore to just 43 yards on the ground. Holding Gore in check was key for New Orleans, as the veteran back was never able to get into a rhythm.
As for Andrew Luck, the Colts quarterback had to deal with a menacing pass rush, as Cam Jordan led the charge for New Orleans. The Saints defensive end followed up last week’s three-sack performance with two sacks and four hits on Luck Sunday.
Dannell Ellerbe was highly active for the second straight week, as the speedy linebacker rang up seven tackles in relentless pursuit of Indianapolis ball-carriers.
In the secondary, Delvin Breaux drew the unenviable assignment of locking up with T.Y. Hilton, and the former CFL star held his own, for the most part, against the explosive Colts wideout.
As mentioned earlier, Hilton was able to break free for two long touchdowns when Breaux fell down, but the New Orleans native turned in a largely impressive performance nonetheless.
Safety Kenny Vaccaro also had a big day in the secondary, as the Saints gave Luck a variety of looks and coverages.
Special Teams
The Saints special teams pulled off perhaps the biggest play of the entire contest with the fake field goal. The 25-yard pass came on the heels of an unsuccessful challenged call by the Saints, which was Payton’s second fruitless challenge of the drive.
New Orleans registered a special teams takeaway in the second quarter with Hau'oli Kikaha's forced fumble on a kickoff.
The Saints didn't have a completely flawless outing, however, as Kai Forbath missed an extra-point attempt that could've been costly.
Both punters enjoyed noteworthy performances in this one. Indianapolis’ Pat McAfee and New Orleans’ Thomas Morstead dueled it out, knocking one booming punt after another. Morstead averaged 48.7 yards per punt, while McAfee posted a 51.7-yard average. Each punter got off 10 punts, which made for a single-game career high for both players.
Saints Rookie Linebackers Continue to Make Plays
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Rookie linebackers Stephone Anthony and Hau’oli Kikaha once again made major contributions to the Saints’ win Sunday.
Selected No. 31 overall in the 2015 draft, Anthony is quickly developing into a solid middle linebacker for Rob Ryan’s defense. He finished the game with seven tackles and a pass deflection, and his interception of Luck led to a second-quarter touchdown for the Saints.
On the kickoff following that score, Anthony’s fellow rookie linebacker, Kikaha, made his mark on the contest with a forced fumble of Colts return man Griff Whalen.
Drafted a few spots behind at Anthony at No. 44 overall, Kikaha also batted down a ball at the line of scrimmage.
These two young defenders both have a propensity to make things happen, and seeing them wreak havoc and make outstanding plays is becoming a common occurrence for Saints fans.
Mark Ingram on the Saints Offensive Line
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Mark Ingram enjoyed a season-high 143 yards on the ground, but he was quick to recognize his offensive linemen for their efforts.
“The offensive line did a tremendous job," Ingram said after the game, according to NewOrleansSaints.com's Alex Restrepo. "I can’t have a game like that without them. They did a great job getting a hat on a hat and having seams for me to run through. I just had to make a guy miss in the open field and we had some big gains.”
New Orleans rolled up 183 rushing yards at an average of 5.1 yards per carry. The Saints running backs enjoyed outstanding blocking up front, and there’s no doubt they benefited from the return of both left tackle Terron Armstead and left guard Tim Lelito to the lineup.
Armstead and Lelito, along with Max Unger, Jahri Evans and Zach Strief, imposed their will on the Colts defensive front for the better part of the first three quarters, as Ingram, Khiry Robinson and C.J. Spiller ran the ball with purpose and intensity.
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Drew Brees on the Saints' Playing Complementary Football
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Following the game, Drew Brees gave his thoughts on the Saints' playing complementary football, as quoted on NewOrleansSaints.com:
"It was complementary, and everybody was there for one another. I feel like in the locker room afterwards it’s offensive guys, defensive guys, special teams, four-core guys all embracing. We all had a part in this. We all are relying on one another and there is great trust and confidence in each other and you just know that you will find a way to make a play and win the game. That’s a good feeling.
"
The Saints racked up 449 yards of offense on the day, as they enjoyed success both on the ground and through the air.
Defensively, New Orleans was able to stymie the Indianapolis running game while applying steady pressure on Luck and intercepting him twice.
A couple of big special teams plays capped off a balanced overall performance in which New Orleans earned a victory through a collective team effort.
The Saints are still a 3-4 football team with some problematic areas, but when they’re hitting on all cylinders like they were for a good portion of Sunday’s game, they can be a tough team to beat.
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