Saints Player of the Week - Demario Davis

What’s good, Who Dats!? It’s Tee Word, and I’m back with the New Orleans Saints Player of the Week for Week 7 of 2018! The Saints needed a little luck to finish off the Baltimore Ravens in regulation but walked away victorious nonetheless. On a day when Drew Brees threw career touchdowns #500 and #501, it was only right that he’d slay the mighty dragon that was 32nd NFL team he’s defeated in his career by a final score of 24-23. While historic in both achievements, we cannot overlook the contributions of linebacker Demario Davis on defense.

At first glance, this day was all about Brees; a chance to finally have beaten all 32 NFL teams as well as join the exclusive 500 touchdown club. But Brees’ season will be better appreciated when the year is over and we can compile and reflect upon the various achievements that have been witnessed in 2018. I’d much rather give some focus to the defense and the players on defense who are helping the Saints turn the corner.

First, let’s give the defense some credit for slowly adjusting their strategy and holding their last 3 opponents offenses under their points per game averages. Considering the three opponents on the slate, the New York Giants, Washington team, and the Ravens are not offensive juggernauts, it is still a commendable achievement. The Saints have also quietly become the the best run defense in football but some of that statistic could be attributed to not facing very formidable rushing attacks. But in the end, we want to highlight that the defense has show up week to week and shown improvement. In addition, the Saints have been pretty damn good on defense outside of the division, allowing substantially less passing yards, passing TDs, and points per game. Fortunately the Saints are in the midst of a critical non-division stretch.

The player who I feel is having the biggest impact on the Saints defensive performance this season is Davis. Demario is sitting at 49 tackles with 2 sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass defended after 6 games. Davis is on pace for 130 tackles if he stays on brand. It should not be overlooked that he has quietly been a leader and active participant in shoring up the linebacker group. Versus the Ravens, Davis had 5 tackles, 1 assisted. This game didn’t stuff the stat sheet or have any ‘wow’ plays, but still demonstrated that sometimes a quiet day is good as a defensive player because it means you’re not giving up many plays. Enjoy this moment of reflection on a new Saint who is quickly acclimating to his team and ingratiating himself with the fan-base. Big shout-out to Double D!

Heading into a very important week 8 match-up with the Minnesota Vikings, let’s all hope that Davis shows up at his best and is ready to give Kirk Cousins hell all day long!

As always, Thanks for reading, Be Cool Who Dats!