Jaguars vs. Saints: New Orleans Grades, Notes and Quotes

The New Orleans Saints snapped a three-game home losing streak Sunday, as they defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome 38-27.

With the win, New Orleans improved its record to 6-9 and avoided the franchise’s first 10-loss season since 2005.

New Orleans rode the arm of quarterback Drew Brees, who threw for 412 yards while battling a torn plantar fascia in his right foot. Brees, who was questionable heading into the contest, was stellar throughout, as he spread the ball around to 10 different receivers.

The Saints jumped out to a 21-0 lead, scoring touchdowns on their first three offensive possessions. After New Orleans added a field goal to extend the lead to 24, Jacksonville (5-10) finally got on the scoreboard with an 80-yard touchdown drive late in the second quarter.

The New Orleans defense also played a key role, as young Jacksonville signal-caller Blake Bortles struggled through a shaky first-half performance. Bortles eventually found a rhythm, but it was too little, too late against Brees and New Orleans' high-flying offense, which finished with 537 yards from scrimmage.

In their last half of football in the Superdome this season, the Saints fended off a Jacksonville rally with another flurry of offense, answering each of the Jaguars' two touchdown drives with scoring marches of their own.

The end result was an 11-point win in which Brees tossed at least three touchdown passes for the fifth consecutive time at home.

Continue reading for a closer look at New Orleans' Week 16 victory, complete with grades, notes and quotes.

Grades

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Quarterback:  A

Brees' foot injury, which he suffered in the Week 15 loss to the Detroit Lions, was a hot topic of discussion throughout the week, but it proved to be little more than a hiccup for the future Hall of Famer.

The Saints signal-caller carved up the seemingly helpless Jaguars defense, finishing with 412 passing yards and three scores on 25-of-36 passing. He was sharp and decisive throughout the game, and he made several pinpoint throws into tight spaces.

The win marked Brees' second consecutive three-touchdown, zero-interception performance.

Running Back:  A

Lost in all the pregame attention surrounding Brees was Tim Hightower, who powered his way to two rushing touchdowns on the day.

While Brees picked the Jaguars apart through the air, Hightower helped the Saints establish a strong presence between the tackles. He hammered out 122 yards on 27 carries while adding another 47 yards receiving.  

The recently acquired Travaris Cadet made an immediate impact in his first game, racking up 69 receiving yards and scoring on a 44-yard reception in the third quarter.

Wide Receiver/Tight End:  A-

The New Orleans receiving corps was in top form Sunday afternoon, with Brandin Cooks once again leading the way with five catches for 123 yards. The second-year wideout went over the 1,000-yard receiving mark on the season with his performance, becoming the first Saints receiver to accomplish the feat since Marques Colston did it back in 2012.

Cooks delivered big with a 71-yard scoring reception in the first quarter, and he also helped New Orleans attack the edges of the Jacksonville defense with four carries for 10 yards.

Wideouts Willie Snead and Brandon Coleman also got in on the act with four catches a piece, while utility tight end Michael Hoomanawanui hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to give New Orleans its first touchdown of the day.

Offensive Line:  A-

The New Orleans offensive line delivered one of its best performances of the season, as Brees was allowed ample time in the pocket and picked on a shaky Jaguars pass defense.

As mentioned earlier, the Saints also pounded Jacksonville between the tackles with Hightower, and the likes of Jahri Evans and Max Unger played a big hand in New Orleans' success on the ground.

Also impressive was rookie Andrus Peat, who started at right tackle in place of the injured Zach Strief.

Defensive Line:  C+

The Saints defensive front had struggled to stop the run in recent weeks, but the group received a nice boost Sunday when it was spotted a 24-point lead by Brees and the offense.

New Orleans was unable to get to Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles with just a four-man rush, but the Saints applied pressure on the second-year signal-caller with a blitz package that featured safety Kenny Vaccaro.

Tackle John Jenkins led the defensive front with six tackles, while end Bobby Richardson plucked an interception out of the air following a pass deflection by Delvin Breaux.

Linebacker:  B-

Thanks to the New Orleans offense building a sizable lead, the Jacksonville running game was never a huge factor in this one, as Bortles was forced to drop back and throw for the majority of the contest.

The Saints linebackers still had a workout, though, with Stephone Anthony and Ramon Humber racking up six tackles each.

Meanwhile, outside 'backer Hau'oli Kikaha often lined up on the edge and rushed the passer from a defensive end position. The rookie didn't come up with any big plays, but in allowing him to line up and play from a familiar position, the Saints afforded him an opportunity to do what he does well. 

Defensive Back:  B

The aforementioned Vaccaro rang up two sacks off blitzes, but it was the play of cornerback Breaux that stood out in the New Orleans secondary.

The first-year cover man and former CFL star was seemingly everywhere, as he blanketed the Jaguars receivers with lockdown coverage on numerous occasions.

Brandon Browner was burned deep on a 90-yard touchdown reception by Allen Robinson, although the oft-criticized cornerback contributed a team-high seven tackles to the Saints' defensive effort.

Special Teams:  D

Kai Forbath missed two field goals and went just 1-of-3 on the afternoon, while the Saints kickoff coverage unit yielded a 36-yard return to Nick Marshall.

Thomas Morstead boomed the Saints' only two punts, averaging 49.5 yards per kick.

Cadet handled the return duties, although he was limited to minimal yardage on both punt and kickoff returns.

Coaching:  B

Despite their disappointing record, the Saints played inspired football in front of their home crowd Sunday, and Payton and his staff deserve credit for getting the team ready to play.

New Orleans had a sound game plan on both sides of the ball, and the execution, especially on offense, was also commendable.

Saints Running Backs Come Up Big

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With Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson on injured reserve, New Orleans received a hefty contribution from running backs Tim Hightower and Travaris Cadet.

Hightower tallied 169 offensive yards and two touchdowns, and he enjoyed his first 100-yard rushing game since 2010, when he played for the Arizona Cardinals.

Meanwhile, Cadet donned the black and gold for the first time since the final game of the 2014 season. After three years as a Saint from 2012-2014, he spent time with both the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers in 2015 before returning to New Orleans this week.

The Appalachian State product made the most of his first opportunity back with the Saints, totaling 75 yards from scrimmage, including a 44-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.

The two backs complemented each other quite well throughout the contest as Brees handled business through the air.

Drew Brees on If He Played in Pain

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Brees' injured foot was a big concern for the Saints all week, but with another prolific passing performance, the 36-year-old left no doubt the injury didn't adversely affect him.

He spoke about the injury following the game, and he was quoted as follows on NewOrleansSaints.com:

"

It was just sore. I had to keep it loose. I was trying throughout the week different ways to tape it and all those things. I wanted to keep it warm and loose. It was actually a lot better than I thought it was.

"

Brees' 412-yard outing moved him into a tie with Dan Marino for second-most 400-yard passing performances in NFL history with 13. He now trails only Peyton Manning, who has 14, for most all-time.

Willie Snead on What Sunday's Win Says About the Team

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At 6-9, the Saints are tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for last place in the NFC South. They have no shot at the playoffs, and yet Payton's squad delivered a first-rate effort Sunday and reclaimed its home-field advantage.

New Orleans has one final contest this season, on the road against the Atlanta Falcons, and the Saints will undoubtedly be pulling out all the stops to knock their divisional rivals out of playoff contention.

Wideout Willie Snead, who turned in a four-catch, 75-yard effort against the Jaguars, spoke on the team's outlook following Sunday's win, and he was quoted as follows on NewOrleansSaints.com:

"

We have one more game to go and the guys in this locker room really want to win. We want to finish this year strong regardless if we make the playoffs. We have a group of guys with great character. We expect a lot of great things. We didn't have the season that we wanted to, but I'm sure we are going to do a lot better next year.

"