Saints That Trended Up And Trended Down in Week One
After an absolute thriller of a win against the Falcons in Atlanta, let’s go over which Saints showed out, and who didn’t.
Trending Up
Saints Middle Linebacker – Pete Werner
The second-year linebacker out of Ohio State (shocker) was all over the field on Sunday. He racked up 13 tackles, 12 of them being solo, including a tackle for loss. In the first quarter he “Pete Punched” as per Kenny Albert of FOX, the ball from Olamide Zaccheaus, resulting in a turnover. Keep an eye out for number 20, as he is establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with in this star-studded defense.
Saints Wide Receiver – Jarvis Landry
On nine targets, Landry hauled in seven catches for 114 yards. One of those catches was a crucial point in the Saints’ go-ahead drive. He was open basically all game and looked like the Pro Bowler we have seen and known in the past. He will be a vital part of this offense going forward.
Trending Down
Saints Offensive Lineman – Cesar Ruiz
Ruiz has not quite been what the Saints have wanted after they picked him 24th overall in the 2020 draft. He was not what the coaches wanted today either. He struggled in pass blocking; however, it is only fair to note that the offensive line as a whole struggled. On a play against Falcons’ lineman, Grady Jarrett, he was tossed aside, and Jarrett basically went in untouched for the sack. He seemed to do okay in run blocking, but the run game really never got going besides Taysom Hill’s 57-yard run. Ruiz still needs to step it up as part of an already thin offensive line.
GRADY JARRETT GETS IN THE BACKFIELD FOR THE SACK pic.twitter.com/dMUxSfxZy0 — NFL Football Everything (@nflfootballeve1) September 11, 2022
Saints Corner Back – Bradley Roby
Roby served as the Saints’ number two corner in the game against Atlanta due to Paulson Adebo being out with an injury. He was most active in the first half with a forced incompletion on Kyle Pitts and a fumble recovery. However, throughout the game, when in man coverage he struggled against Olamide Zaccheaus and Drake London. Zone coverage snaps were serviceable but getting beat in man coverage is not going to slide on this defense. He gave up chunk plays and was beat on more than one occasion on out-breaking routes by either receiver. This is something to note when watching Roby going forward.
If you enjoyed this article make sure you check out more Saints material from me and my teammates at WhoDatHype.com and articles of other teams or sports at StadiumRant.com
Tune into Spotify every week for the Who Dat Hype Podcast on NFL on Stadium Rant Podcasts