Latest takeaways from the Saints MNF showdown
By: Jake Rajala
The New Orleans Saints didn’t exactly impose their dominance at home against the Lamar Jackson-led Baltimore Ravens. After Jackson steamrolled the Saints defense (who was red-hot coming off their shutout against Las Vegas), the Raiders stand at 6-3 (first in the AFC North) and the Saints sit at 3-6 (which is surprisingly one game behind first place in the NFC South). With that said, I’m going to untwine five takeaways from the Saints-Ravens MNF match-up.
- Red Rifle was MIA
The Red Rifle was not an authentic, superb QB in Week 9. Dalton missed a wide-open WR for a touchdown at the end of the first half. He also threw an interception to DE Justin Houston in the second half. It was clear that Dalton was nervous and unable to excel in his biggest game of the season.
- The Ravens pass rush
Dalton doesn’t deserve all of the blame for his MNF blunder. His pass protection was far from potent against Baltimore, to say the least. The Ravens notched four sacks against Dalton, while Justin Houston collected 2.5 of the sacks. It could be said that Houston turned back the clock in this crucial match-up.
- Taysom Hill
It would be an understatement to say that Who Dat Nation was unpleased with the usage of Taysom Hill in this game. Hill had a whopping one carry in the game. Hill was the key reason why NO edged out the Seahawks, but it seems that Pete Carmichael forget how to include the John Wick-like figure in his offensive attack on Monday Night.
- Demario Davis
Demario Davis may have not been a part of the solution on his defense in the second half, but he was at another level in the first half against Lamar. He registered a sack and he was nicely seen blowing up RBs in the backfield. PFF slotted Davis as the best LB entering Week 9 & it’s safe to say that he’s on a path to garnering at least second-team All-Pro honors.
- Kenyan Drake
The former Arizona Cardinals ball carrier Kenyan Drake really made the Saints defense ache. Drake scooped two rushing touchdowns and 93 rushing yards. It was once believed that the Saints had a brick-wall run defense, but it was safe to say that NO struggled to stifle Drake. Although, it should be mentioned that Jackson (82 rushing yards on 11 carries) hogged some attention to help Drake.
