The New Orleans Saints defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11, but they did so with some uncommon splits in their snap counts. Second-year pass rusher Marcus Davenport was the third wheel in the defensive end rotation. Backup left guard Nick Easton played a full game in his first appearance on offense this season. Linebacker Kiko Alonso played the second-most snaps at his position group. Six difference defensive backs played more than 50% of snaps. Here’s how everything shook out against the Buccaneers:
Offensive backfield
- QB Drew Brees, 67 (96%)
- RB Alvin Kamara, 43 (61%)
- RB Latavius Murray, 29 (41%)
- FB Zach Line, 23 (33%)
- QB Taysom Hill, 10 (14%)
- FS Marcus Williams, 2 (3%)
The Saints may have caught some flak from the broadcast team for putting Hill in for a pass attempt rather than Brees, but it’s a look they’ve had success with before given Brees’ subpar arm strength on passes deeper downfield. This time it happened to bite them when Hill was surprised by an unblocked blitzer. Kamara improved as the game wore on and steadily looked more comfortable after he bounced off of some Buccaneers defenders. Williams got in on the victory formation to close out the game, which is always nice to see.
Skills positions
- WR Michael Thomas, 57 (81%)
- TE Jared Cook, 49 (70%)
- WR Tre’Quan Smith, 42 (60%)
- WR Ted Ginn Jr, 38 (54%)
- TE Josh Hill, 32 (46%)
- WR Krishawn Hogan, 13 (19%)
It’s a shame that the Saints can’t get any consistent production out of their wide receivers besides Thomas, because they’re all getting on the field very often without justifying it. This is now two weeks in a row where multiple receivers played 50% or more of snaps on offense but failed to combine for multiple catches. The clock is ticking on Smith and Ginn’s job security. Hill was on track to see his usual workload (39 snaps per game) but a concussion sidelined him.
Offensive line
- T Terron Armstead, 70 (100%)
- C Erik McCoy, 70 (100%)
- T Ryan Ramczyk, 70 (100%)
- G Larry Warford, 70 (100%)
- G Nick Easton, 70 (100%)
- G Will Clapp, 14 (20%)
- G Patrick Omameh, 1 (1%)
It was a heck of an outing for Easton, who got his first snaps on offense of the year and turned them into a game-long performance. He effectively came off the bench to pitch a no-hitter. When Hill went out with a concussion, the Saints’ go-to adjustment was increased snaps for Clapp as a blocker, though Omameh joined him in a heavyset offensive line look on Brees’ leaping fourth-down conversion.
Special teams
- QB Taysom Hill, 19 (73%)
- LB Stephone Anthony, 19 (73%)
- LB Craig Robertson, 19 (73%)
- CB Justin Hardee, 19 (73%)
- RB Dwayne Washington, 16 (62%)
- SS J.T. Gray, 16 (62%)
- CB Johnson Bademosi, 15 (58%)
- SS C.J. Gardner-Johnson, 13 (50%)
- K Wil Lutz, 13 (50%)
This is the group of core special teams players the Saints want to use the most, and it’s tough to argue with the results. Hill, Anthony, Robertson, and Hardee are a group of athletes who play with great lane discipline and know how to disengage blocks on the move. It’s just a shame rookie returns specialist Deonte Harris had to miss this game with a hamstring injury, because he’s had the best start New Orleans has seen in years.
Defensive line
- DE Cameron Jordan, 63 (93%)
- DT David Onyemata, 37 (54%)
- DT Sheldon Rankins, 35 (51%)
- DE Trey Hendrickson, 34 (50%)
- DE Marcus Davenport, 23 (34%)
- DT Mario Edwards Jr., 15 (22%)
- NT Malcom Brown, 15 (22%)
- NT Shy Tuttle, 12 (18%)
This was the first game this year in which Davenport played fewer snaps than Hendrickson, which is disappointing but makes sense in context. The Buccaneers were forced into a pass-first strategy once the Saints went up early in the first half, which meant more dropbacks for Jameis Winston. Hendrickson is a much more polished pass-rusher than Davenport, who is stronger in run defense but less stout on passing downs. Until Davenport starts making more headway in getting after quarterbacks, Hendrickson may continue to play ahead of him when the situation allows.
Linebackers
- LB Demario Davis, 68 (100%)
- LB Kiko Alonso, 45 (66%)
- LB A.J. Klein, 29 (43%)
The Saints have been steadily increased Alonso’s workload, and this week he finally leapfrogged Klein in the rotation. Both of them are good players and will help the Saints this year, but it’s a development to watch moving forward. Klein will be a free agent next year, but Alonso is under contract for the 2020 season. Don’t be shocked if the Saints continue to get Alonso more snaps as the season marches on.
Defensive secondary
- FS Marcus Williams, 68 (100%)
- SS Vonn Bell, 68 (100%)
- CB Eli Apple, 68 (100%)
- CB P.J. Williams, 67 (99%)
- SS C.J. Gardner-Johnson, 62 (91%)
- CB Patrick Robinson, 39 (57%)
Williams was the immediate fill-in for injured Marshon Lattimore, and he played admirably against top Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans. Gardner-Johnson continued to play the slot with Williams moved outside, but the Saints got creative in his usage as well as the snaps they found for Robinson, keeping the secondary versatile. The strategy worked, confusing Winston and creating four interceptions.
