Sign up for the daily Saints Newsletter by clicking here.
The New Orleans Saints don’t have much time to dwell on what went wrong against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Now they must shift their attention to their game against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, who come to the Caesars Superdome for the Saints’ first NFC South matchup of the season. With both teams sitting at 1-2, New Orleans has an opportunity to not only get back to .500 but claim bragging rights over its longtime divisional rivals.
But there are a few individual performances from that loss that become even more concerning when looking ahead to Atlanta.
Here are two Saints whose stock is down — and who will be under the microscope against Atlanta.
Safety Justin Reid
It was a difficult afternoon for Justin Reid, and the numbers backed it up.
Reid received a 28.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, the lowest among Saints players who logged at least 20 snaps. His biggest struggles came in coverage, where PFF gave him a 29.6 grade.
PFF charted Reid as the nearest defender on six completions for 74 yards and a touchdown, with opposing quarterbacks producing a 150.3 passer rating when targeting his coverage. That doesn’t mean Reid was at fault for each completion because coverage assignments can make nearest-defender statistics imperfect, but it does show how frequently Las Vegas found success in his area.
Reid also drew an unnecessary roughness penalty in the end zone, adding another negative play to an already difficult outing.
The veteran safety was brought to New Orleans to provide stability and experience and, for the most part, has been on the back end, but Week 3 was easily one of those performances he would like to shake off.
EDGE Cameron Jordan
While Chase Young continues to generate pressure from one side of the Saints’ defensive front, Cameron Jordan hasn’t been nearly as productive from the other.
Jordan finished with a 45.6 overall PFF grade, the second-lowest mark among Saints players who played at least 20 snaps. His 24.8 tackling grade was the lowest defensive grade in any individual category highlighted by PFF’s Week 3 numbers.
The pass-rush production was also limited. Jordan rushed Kirk Cousins 21 times but generated only one pressure, according to PFF.
The contrast with Young was noticeable. Young recorded two sacks and earned an 81.1 overall grade and 87.1 pass-rush grade, while Jordan struggled to consistently affect Cousins.
At 37, the Saints aren’t asking him to carry their pass rush anymore, but they still need more impact from one of the most experienced players on the defense.
Saints Mailbag
Wednesdays, On SI Saints will answer your questions about what we see from our vantage point. To submit your thoughts or inquiries click here.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
