Saints Week 1 snap counts against the Texans

Week 1 across the NFL was crazy, and there’s not other way to put it. The New Orleans Saints were able to overcome a sluggish first half, take the lead late, squander it away, and then set up what would be the game-winning 58-yard field goal from Wil Lutz to come out with a 30-28 victory over the Houston Texans. It’s only one week, but the Saints sit atop the NFC South with everyone else in the division losing. Here’s a look at the snap count detail and playing time percentage for the black and gold. (Note: All data is provided by the NFL)

Offense

• Ryan Ramczyk, Andrus Peat, Larry Warford, Terron Armstead, Erik McCoy, Drew Brees - 66 (100%)
  The Saints offensive line only allowed one sack all night, and it didn’t come from J.J. Watt. In fact, Watt failed to record at least one tackle or QB hit for the first time in 105 career games, according to NFL Research. Brees overcame the bad interception in the red zone and finished out 32/43, 370 yards, 2 touchdowns, and the pick for a 105.8 rating.
• Michael Thomas - 59 (89%)
  ‘Can’t Guard Mike’ finished out with 10 receptions for 123 yards on 13 targets, including a long of 24. Check out his route tree from Next Gen Stats.
• Alvin Kamara - 50 (76%)
  Kamara saw more work than we likely expected, but was extremely effective with his 20 total touches. Kamara finished with 97 rushing yards on 13 carries (7.5 yards per carry), and 7 receptions for 72 yards on 8 targets. That run on 1st and 20 was incredible
• Ted Ginn Jr. - 49 (74%)
  Ginn Jr. has 7 catches for 101 yards on the night on 7 targets. He had a long of 41 yards, and was instrumental in getting the Saints in field goal range on the final drive. The team needed a receiver to step up, and it’s good to see Ginn Jr. respond.
• Jared Cook, Tre’Quan Smith - 42 (64%)
  Cook didn’t have a huge debut, but caught 2 balls for 37 yards on 3 targets. Just imagine if they get him going. Smith secured both of his targets for 26 yards, which included the early fourth quarter touchdown.
• Josh Hill - 32 (48%)
• Latavius Murray - 18 (27%)
  Murray had 9 total touches against the Texans, picking up 43 rushing yards on 6 attempts (7.2 yards per carry) and scoring his first touchdown in a Saints uniform. In the passing game, he had only 2 receptions for 4 yards on 3 targets.
• Taysom Hill - 15 (23%)
  Hill ran twice for 8 yards and caught a 9-yard reception for a touchdown in the red zone. It was a heck of a moment, to say the least. He was targeted twice and added 23 snaps on special teams.
• Keith Kirkwood - 12 (18%)
• Zach Line - 10 (15%)
• Deonte Harris - 1 (2%)

Defense

• Vonn Bell, Eli Apple, Marshon Lattimore, Demario Davis - 67 (100%)
  DeAndre Hopkins predictably had a big day, finishing with 111 yards on 8 catches (13 targets) and 2 touchdowns. Lattimore did a pretty good job overall, but the Saints secondary clearly busted some assignments and coverage while covering Hopkins. Apple gave up a big play to Will Fuller, and Vonn Bell had a pretty good game on the surface and was the team’s leading tackler with 7 combined tackles (5 solo). Demario Davis was quite active on blitzes and such, but finished with 5 tackles in the stat department.
• Cameron Jordan - 66 (99%)
  Jordan posted 5 total tackles and had a sack in his 2019 debut. He also had a tackle for loss and 2 quarterback hits.
• Marcus Williams - 64 (96%)
  Williams had a key interception that the Saints were able to capitalize on, but his play was mixed on the day. Williams had the two pass defenses the Saints were credited with and 2 total tackles. He did leave the field and in the medical tent due to an undisclosed injury, but was spotted in the locker room during post-game locker interviews.
• P.J. Williams - 53 (79%)
• Malcom Brown - 51 (76%)
  Brown’s debut with the Saints saw him finish with 2 total tackles and a half sack (0.5) that he split with rookie Shy Tuttle.
• A.J. Klein, Marcus Davenport - 50 (75%)
  Davenport might have had a better game than some want to admit, even though it didn’t show up in the stats (2 total tackles, QB hit). Obviously, it’ll be interesting to dive into the film to see if indeed that was the case.
• Trey Hendrickson - 35 (52%)
  Arguably, Hendrickson was the best Saints pass rusher on the field and finished with 2 sacks on the night and 3 total tackles. It’s good to see him stepping up to the plate, as we wondered what would things look like without Alex Okafor. Limited snaps and big plays should keep Hendrickson a big part of the rotation. One thing I did notice during the game was that the Saints rotated him inside as a defensive tackle to rush the passer. New Orleans also used a lot of stand up rushing.
• Shy Tuttle - 33 (49%)
  Tuttle’s debut saw him finished with a half sack (0.5) and a tackle.
• Alex Anzalone - 31 (46%)
• Taylor Stallworth - 22 (33%)
• Mitchell Loewen - 11 (16%)
• Chauncey Gardner-Johnson - 3 (4%)

Special Teams (Top Reps)

• Justin Hardee, Taysom Hill - 23
• Chauncey Gardner-Johnson - 21
• Dwayne Washington, J.T. Gray, Kaden Elliss - 18
  Nick Easton, Kiko Alonso, Will Clapp, and Patrick also appeared on a handful of special teams plays.