It’s tough to criticize a team after such a lopsided win, but the New Orleans Saints maintain high standards and so should we. We’re recapping the game with our Week 5 Studs and Duds, highlighting peak performers and those who left a bit to be desired.
Here’s who stood out (for good and bad) after Sunday’s 34-0 win over the New England Patriots:
STUD | RB Alvin Kamara
Kamara had a great game Sunday, gaining 97 yards from scrimmage on 25 combined touches — scoring a touchdown run that broke Marques Colston’s franchise scoring record. He didn’t have many explosive plays but Kamara was consistently reliably in picking up first downs and making something out of nothing with nifty moves after the catch. He’s looking just like his old self as one of the league’s dynamic threats to hurt a defense anywhere around the field.
DUD | Penalties
It’s tough to be critical in a 34-0 shutout, but this wasn’t a perfect game. The Saints were penalized a dozen times — largely for procedural fouls that shouldn’t happen in front of a demoralized Patriots fanbase at mellow Gillette Stadium. New Orleans was fouled four times for false starts, and they later drew a delay of game penalty on fourth down deep inside New England territory. Those self-inflicted wounds shouldn’t be happening here.
STUD | DE Carl Granderson
Granderson had a great game with 4 tackles (3 solo), including 3 tackles for loss and a sack with two other quarterback hits. He consistently won his battles rushing off the right side of the line. He also cleaned up some opportunities created by his teammates up front, but this is what the Saints were looking for out of Granderson after signing him to a long-term contract extension.
DUD | FB Adam Prentice
We don’t want to add insult to injury — Prentice left the game with a knee injury — but the fullback had a rough afternoon. He was responsible for a holding foul that wiped out Alvin Kamara’s longest run of the day, then he gave up a sack in pass protection after failing to stop the blitzing linebacker. This is a week after he dropped a well-thrown pass and fumbled on his own goal line. He’s got to improve, or the Saints need to host tryouts at fullback.
STUD | K Blake Grupe
Grupe deserves a lot of credit: the Saints asked him to try two long field goals on a windy New England afternoon. And he came through in the clutch, nailing each of his tries from 53 and 54 yards (as well as all four of his extra point attempts) The rookie is now 11-of-12 on field goals and 7-of-7 on extra points; he’s responded well after pushing a 46-yard field goal wide right in a loss to the Packers two weeks ago.
