The New Orleans Saints
deserve too take a bow after that one. They pulled of Week 2's biggest upset in a 24-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens -- on the road, in front of a big crowd, and without their rookie first-round pick Jordyn Tyson. Baltimore is a legitimate Super Bowl contender with an MVP candidate at quarterback, but Lamar Jackson's magic ran out when veteran safety Julian Blackmon intercepted him to close out the win.But who played the biggest role in the win? Which Saints players weren't pulling their weight? Here are our Week 2 Studs and Duds.
Stud: Chris Olave
Olave was nearly automatic on Sunday; he had two first down conversions against each of Baltimore's top two corners, Nate Wiggins (2 catches for 26 yards) and Marlon Humphrey (2 receptions for 23
yards). Pro Football Focus charting had him with four contested-catch situations, coming down with three of them. He's been on a tear to start the season, catching 18 of 23 targets (78.3%) for 268 yards, 13 first downs, and a touchdown.
Dud: Alvin Kamara
Kamara looked rusty. His longest run gained just 6 yards, and he averaged just 1.7 yards per carry on nine rushes. Baltimore is known for their stingy run defense but he just doesn't have a second gear at this stage in his career. That was also evident on passing downs where Kamara caught five passes for just 7 yards. That's an average of 1.4 yards per catch. He may be able to shake a defender loose in space, but we didn't see AK force any missed tackles in his debut.
Stud: Chase Young
Young was credited with seven quarterback pressures by Pro Football Focus, which goes to show just how disruptive he was off the edge. He had some great battles with Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley before Carson Vinson, a backup, replaced Stanley due to an injury. Young singlehandedly stopped a Ravens scoring drive with a huge sack dropping Lamar Jackson for a loss of 12 yards.
Stud: Tyler Shough
Shough is running out of boxes to check to convince everyone else the Saints don't need another quarterback. He stepped up against the blitz -- PFF charting had Baltimore sending extra pressure 18 times, sacking him twice but leading to 13 completions on 16 passes for 136 yards and 7 first downs -- and made plays in a very hostile environment. The Ravens hosted a sellout crowd because they were so widely assumed to win this one. Shough sent 70,000 fans home disappointed.
Dud: Cesar Ruiz
It was another week with Ruiz at the scene of too many crimes, looking back behind him as teammates were tackled by defenders he failed to block. The sixth-year starter was also flagged for a holding penalty on 2nd and 14, but the Ravens declined it to force New Orleans into a long third down (which they converted on a 25-yard grab-and-go by tight end Juwan Johnson). The Saints can't run behind Ruiz, and his lapses in pass protection are getting costly.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Studs and Duds from Saints' thrilling Week 2 upset vs. Ravens
