What is the story about?
What
did Pro Football Focus make of the New Orleans Saints' season-opening loss to the Detroit Lions? PFF's unique grading system leaves a lot to be desired as far as valuable analysis, but it's a good starting point for highlighting which players pulled their weight and which performances deserve more scrutiny. With the Saints having fought their into overtime after stumbling out of the gates, let's check in on the best and worst player grades on offense and defense after Week 1.
Best offense grades
- WR Chris Olave: 82.6. Olave wasn't as effective blocking on run plays as he'd like to be, but that's nearly the only negative about his game (he did also drop a pass deep downfield early on). He caught 10 of 13 targets for a career-high 182 receiving yards, went 2-of-4 on contested catches, and converted seven first downs. His 30 yards gained after the catch were also impressive.
- TE Noah Fant: 79.6. Fant had some miscues -- Shough overthrew and underthrew him a few times as the pair worked to get in sync -- but you can see why the ball continued to go his way. Fant picked up almost half of his yardage after the catch and looked comfortable while drawing targets in traffic.
- QB Tyler Shough: 75.0. How impressive is it that Shough clawed his way back up the list after starting so poorly? PFF had him with six "big time throws" this week, as many as the next two quarterbacks combined, which they define as "a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window." He just needs to cut down on the turnover-worthy plays, sacks, and penalties. That's easier said than done but should come with experience.
- TE Juwan Johnson: 73.4. Johnson was the team's highest-rated run blocker (75.1), and while he didn't see many targets until late in the game, he made them count by going 3-of-6 for 54 yards and a critical touchdown. He also forced the Lions defense into committing a costly coverage penalty early on.
- LT Kelvin Banks Jr.: 72.0. Aidan Hutchinson beat Banks for a sack early on with a sick spin move, but Banks recovered well after that and only gave up one more pressure through 67 snaps in pass protection. He didn't pave the way as a run blocker as well as hoped but the Saints did have more success running behind him than the right side of the line.
Worst offense grades
- RT Taliese Fuaga: 41.2. This was a very disappointing performance from Fuaga. He took the brunt of Hutchinson's pass rush, yielding six pressures and a sack, but he was also the lowest-graded run blocker on the team (45.1). Hutchinson is a tough out but the Saints drafted Fuaga in Round 1 to handle assignments like this. He's got to be better.
- RB Kendre Miller: 44.1. Miller's overall work wasn't much to write home about, but he wasn't awful -- outside of one rep where he was asked to stand up Hutchinson in pass protection. Asking a running back to block one of the three or four best pass rushers in the game is just foolish, and it contributed to a pass blocking grade (25.3) that sunk Miller's other scores.
- WR Barion Brown: 50.6. Brown had his "welcome to the NFL" moment when he took a jet sweep and was cut short after picking up just three yards. Hopefully he'll be more productive next week. Getting him more targets would be wise after he ran just two routes on Sunday.
- TE Treyton Welch: 51.5. Welch was another blocker who had an unfortunate run-in with Hutchinson (noticing a theme?), but he also had some chances to run routes in the passing game and struggled to get open.
- RG Cesar Ruiz: 52.5. The right side of the line was a major problem. Ruiz gave up two pressures but was just as ineffective blocking for run plays as Fuaga (45.4), and the Saints learned quickly they couldn't make much headway rushing in that direction: they gained 14 yards on nine carries, a rate of 1.6 yards per carry. That's unacceptable.
Best defense grades
- DT Vernon Broughton: 91.7. Broughton's timely fumble recovery was his best moment, but he deserves a lot of credit for battling so hard on 52 snaps after missing his entire rookie year with an injury. He wasn't able to sack Goff but Broughton did hit him twice, which is closer than most of his teammates got.
- LB Pete Werner: 71.2. Werner was all over the field and was credited with six assists. He had a tackle for loss, a pass breakup, and didn't miss a single tackle in the open field.
- CB Martin Emerson Jr.: 68.3. Emerson did well in limited snaps, stopping the only pass that went his way short of the first down marker and making two tackles.
- EDGE Anfernee Jennings: 67.0. Jennings didn't generate much pressure on passing downs but he spent nearly as many snaps in coverage (4) as he did rushing the QB (5), and he did well in run defense. He shouldn't be playing fewer snaps than Tyree Wilson.
- LB Kaden Elliss: 66.1. Elliss was on the field for all 77 snaps and led the team with eight solo tackles (plus two assists), with several stops, while twice pressuring Goff in the pocket. He also didn't miss any tackles.
Worst defense grades
- DT Nathan Shepherd: 30.5. Shepherd produced two pressures, but he needed 30 snaps to do it, and he missed two tackles. He graded below-average in every category and had the worst run defense grade on the team (29.6). It's time to start phasing Shepherd out of the rotation, too.
- DT Davon Godchaux: 34.6. Godchaux's most notable moment came in overtime, when he took off for the sideline while asking for a substitution. He did play 36 snaps in this one, a lot for a veteran nose tackle, but he's also given a day off each week to keep him fresh for Sunday. His run defense grade wasn't much better than Shepherd (37.1). What's the argument for benching Khristian Boyd and John Ridgeway III in favor of Shepherd and Godchaux when the defense is still giving up five yards per carry?
- EDGE Tyree Wilson: 40.7. There just isn't much positive to say about with Wilson's debut. He graded poorly against the run, missed a tackle, and didn't generate a single quarterback pressure. It's only his first game with the Saints but this trade hasn't produced a strong return so far.
- DT Christen Miller: 53.9. We should note that Miller is ranked low but his grade isn't that bad relative to his peers; his rating is closer to average than downright terrible like the vets ahead of him on the depth chart. His debut could have gone worse but the Saints need more out of the rookie.
- EDGE Chase Young: 57.2. Same deal for Young, who graded out really well as a pass rusher but struggled to hold up in run defense. Young lost a sack-fumble to a bad ruling and otherwise had just two pressures, but he consistently won his battles with Lions left tackle Penei Sewell. His pass-rush win rate (18.5%) ranked 16th among 94 qualifying edge rushers this week. That's outstanding work against a four-time Pro Bowler.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 1 loss to Lions
