There’s no easy game in the NFL. Furthermore, there’s no easy game for the Seattle Seahawks. How many times has the team faced an opponent considered weaker and stumbled? We lost at home to NOLA with a backup QB (Teddy Bridgewater) a few years ago. So, there’s no point relaxing, as a win is crucial.
The New Orleans Saints were defeated by the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers (with a backup QB) in the first two weeks. Beating them is important because every win can count toward playoff tiebreakers.
It’s preview time. Let’s go!
Defending the run game and Alvin Kamara will be a challenge
The Saints had 107 rushing yards against the Cardinals and 121 against the 49ers (a team that essentially shut down the Seahawks’ run game in Week 1).
One area the Seahawks’ defense can exploit is starting guard Cesar Ruiz, who received run-block ratings of 32.3 and 35.7 in the rushing game in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively.
So far, Kamara has caught eight passes for 33 yards. However, we know he’s a threat in the air on designed plays and checkdowns. The Seahawks gave up a lot of yards to Christian McCaffrey in Week 1, so he’s a point of concern.
On the ground, he continues to be a threat to defenses. On this play, he shows his intelligence by threatening the inside gap, manipulating the cornerback, and creating the gap for his run that resulted in a touchdown.
Juwan Johnson needs to be guarded
The tight end, who received interest from the Seahawks and Broncos, but decided to re-sign with the Saints, has 13 receptions (team-leading), 125 yards (team-leading), and a TD.
It’s obvious that the Saints’ offense will look to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed for most of their plays. However, watching these two weeks, it’s clear how many plays were designed for Johnson, especially in fast-paced situations or when the Saints wanted to increase their tempo. Screens, shielded releases, and formations with him isolated to try to create one-on-ones. Kellen Moore has been creative with this.
Another opportunity for the defensive line to convert pressures into sacks
The Saints have four first-round picks on its offensive line: Cesar Ruiz (RG), Trevor Penning (LG) injured and moved to guard this year*, Taliese Fuaga (RT), and rookie Kelvin Banks Jr. (LT). The numbers don’t justify the investment so far.
Fuaga has conceded 10 pressures, two sacks, and two hits, while Banks has conceded eight pressures and one sack, placing both in the top 10 among defensive ends who have conceded the most pressures. It’s worth noting that each conceded six of those pressures against the 49ers last week.
Derick Hall has five pressures, DeMarcus Lawrence has only three, and Boye Mafe has seven. In the Percentage of “Wins” vs. Blocking on Non-Penalty Pass Rush Snaps metric, Mafe is 15th among edge guards with 24.4. The others don’t even make the top 50.
I confess that watching the tape, I thought the numbers would be better. Perhaps the fact that they’re being effective primarily on third downs is more eye-catching. A team that applies a lot of pressure is on track to convert those pressures into sacks at some point, but for now, it’s an area where we can improve. Broderick Jones is the Steelers OT who has surrendered the most sacks, and none of the EDGEs were able to capitalize (the sack Jones gave up was against Byron Murphy). The team has another opportunity to apply pressure to the edge of the line.
Inside, the Seahawks have been more effective with Leonard Williams and the big leap Byron Murphy has made. It will be a good matchup against Erik McCoy.
The Seahawks’ offensive line will face another tough matchup
Against the Steelers, we saw inconsistency in the Seahawks’ offensive line, from good plays to sacks and TFLs. The Steelers used a lot of stunts, especially attacking the A gaps, and I think the Saints also adjusted to do something similar.
The Saints have been one of the teams that uses Cover 0 the most (they’re in the top 3). This type of coverage, in short, means everyone marking individually and those without a target go after the QB. The offensive line needs to give Sam Darnold as little time as possible to find Cooper Kupp and JSN.
Carl Granderson, whom the Saints have used in different alignments, is second among edge rushers in run stops (seven behind only Byron Young of the Rams) and leads the league in sacks along with Harold Landry and Myles Garrett.
Very physical against the run. Here, he absorbs the puller and the cornerback with physicality and also tackles the running back.
The Saints also have Bryan Bresee and veteran Cameron Jordan as pass-rushing options.
Demario Davis has the best PFF grade among cornerbacks with a 92.4 rating defending the run game, ranking seventh in the league in run stops (8). Patrick Queen managed to find his way into the backfield at times last week, and Davis could do even more damage.
Spencer Rattler could surprise
He’s probably not the Saints’ QB of the future, but Rattler has the potential to do more than most backups in the league. He has 424 passing yards, 43 rushing yards, 3 TDs, and no INTs; he can’t be overlooked.
He has a very good attitude and tenacity. On many of his throws, he’s shown the ability to hold on to the ball until the window appears, even if it results in a big hit. And he can still gain yards with his legs.
Furthermore, he has the strong arm to make all types of throws downfield, whether he’s looking for Chris Olave in the middle of the field or exploiting Rashid’s verticality deep.
Final Thoughts
This is a game to win with authority, adjusting the offensive focus points, and perhaps converting those pressures into more sacks. This will give us confidence for the coming weeks, remembering that after that, we have a short week before the game against the Cardinals.
