Saints vs Falcons: outlook
By: Jake Rajala
The New Orleans Saints have an emotional showdown against the Atlanta Falcons tonight. Of course, it is the 20th anniversary when Steve Gleason blocked the punt. With that said, I’m going to lay out five x-factors for the contest.
Kendre Miller
Kendre Miller will have a bigger workload than his normal amount of carries. This is due to Travis Etienne’s injury. Alvin Kamara is also not the RB that he once was. With that said, I expect Miller to have double digit carries. He is a poor man’s version of Kenneth Walker.
Za’Darius Smith
Za’Darius Smith isn’t completely washed up yet. He has 2.5 sacks and one pass deflection in these past three games. The Saints have a backup tackle in, due to Kelvin Banks’s injury. The Saints will have to chip him, double team in, and throw screens his direction.
Danny Stutsman
Danny Stutsman can lay the boom and he has modest speed. However, I’d like to see him more active behind the opponent’s backfield. No, I’m not talking about his roughing the passing penalty. He doesn’t have any tackles for loss or sacks. I believe he will blitz more and he will be always in the box with Bijan Robinson at RB.
Jake Matthews
Chase Young has been playing like a Top-5 edge rusher thus far. Jake Matthews is tasked with slowing him down. Young understands that he’s the anchor of the defense. Hence, he will play with a lot of heart. To make matters worse, Matthews has a PFF grade of 46.1 and a pass blocking gradee of 52.4. Yes, you read that correctly.
Juwan Johnson
I understand that Juwan Johnson is a sem-star right now. I believe he will take a big step against the Falcons. The Saints don’t have Jordyn Tyson and I expect the Falcons to really focus on stopping Olave. Johnson can shine from the slot, deep down the field, and in the red-zone.
Honorable Mention:
DeVaughn Vele
Vele is a third down machine. That’s a nice way to put it. He reminds me a lot of Marques Colston, who has similar hands and route running. He can also win in jump ball situations in the end-zone. It’s vital that Vele shines with Jordyn Tyson still injured.
Leave a Reply