.@saints @shonrp2 on 4-6 makes a great open field tackle. There are tackles; and then there are game ending tackles. Well done is always better than well said! #WhoDat #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/YQiJf7HzYn
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) October 13, 2020
Few football games were decided by inches as strongly as the New Orleans Saints’ win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night. The Saints needed a couple of bounces to go their way to pull it off after trailing L.A. 20-3, almost literally — a would-be game-winning field goal for the Chargers instead bounced off the upright, ending regulation and sending the Saints to overtime.
And Marshon Lattimore came up with the day’s biggest tackle in the final minutes, stopping Chargers receiver Mike Williams just shy of converting a first down. NFL analyst Brian Baldinger talked up the highlight reel-worthy moment in his weekly film study, pointing out the size disparity between Lattimore and Williams and saying, “The part of this play that’s amazing is he’s not even going to let (Williams) move forward. He’s driving him backwards, slamming him into the turf.”
“It’s like vectors,” Baldinger continued. “Mike Williams can’t get north-south when Lattimore’s driving him east-west. And then (Lattimore) changes his body to slam him backwards. That’s a great tackle, helps preserve a win for the Saints.”
Just how impressive was that stop? NFL Next Gen Stats gave Williams a 73.4% percent chance of converting a first down after he caught the ball, which would have extended overtime and given the Chargers a shot at winning the game. But Lattimore came through with the play of the game to send his team into the bye week with a win:
Mike Williams had a 73.4% probability of converting the 1st down when he caught the ball, according to our Expected YAC model.
Marshon Lattimore came up with a game-sealing tackle to prevent the 4th down conversion, tackling Williams short of the sticks.#LACvsNO | #Saints pic.twitter.com/YprsLHyOYT
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 13, 2020
It was a great play, but Lattimore must start playing better before it’s time to tackle his opponents. He’s given up too many passes in coverage with lapses win focus or miscommunications with his teammates. That’s been an ugly trend throughout his NFL career, and he’s quickly running out of time to get it corrected. Hopefully the Saints make it an area of focus when they come out of their Week 6 bye.
