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Best and worst Saints PFF player grades from Week 2 vs. Buccaneers

John Sigler
September 19, 2022 2:44 pm CT

We shouldn’t put too much stock in simplified player grades from Pro Football Focus, but the analytics service does create an opportunity for recapping some of the most impactful performances from Week 2’s New Orleans Saints game – both the good and the bad.

To thin out some noise from too-small sample sizes, I’m only listing players who were on the field for at least 33% of snaps with the Saints offense or defense. This better reflects who was on the field most frequently. Let’s get to it.

Top 5 offense (minimum 22 snaps)

1. C Erik McCoy: 79.8
2. WR Michael Thomas: 75.8
3. RG Cesar Ruiz: 75.4
4. LT James Hurst: 68.6
5. TE Juwan Johnson: 66.0

McCoy and Ruiz were really impressive on Sunday, paving the way for some big gains on the ground and winning his matchups with Vita Vea and Akiem Hicks (until Hicks exited the game with an injury). It’s just one game, but this really feels like something Ruiz can begin to build off of.

Thomas won his battles with Carlton Davis, converting a first down on all three of the receptions he made when covered by Tampa Bay’s top cornerback, also scoring a late touchdown. The lone incomplete pass sent his way when matched up with Davis was broken up by the defender.

Johnson again saw more snaps on offense (53) than Adam Trautman (33), matching Trautman’s reps as a run blocker (15 each) while remaining the team’s go-to option on passing downs at tight end. I’ll wait a little longer to let the sample size continue to grow, but Trautman appears to have been displaced as TE1.

Top 5 defense (minimum 22 snaps)

1. LB Pete Werner: 88.4
2. LB Demario Davis: 79.9
3. DE Cameron Jordan: 78.2
4. LB Kaden Elliss: 77.1
5. DE Carl Granderson: 72.6

Werner was phenomenal again on Sunday, with all 6 of his tackles constituting defensive stopcs (meaning the offense typically gained half or fewer of the yards needed to convert a first down). He was tested 4 times in coverage and only yielded 6 receiving yards. He’s quickly climbing the ranks among pro linebackers.

Jordan lost this round to Buccaneers right tackle Tristan Wirfs on passing downs, which isn’t too surprising given Wirfs is one of the best players at that position of his generation. But Jordan did a great job controlling the line of scrimmage and winning on running downs. He isn’t the pass rusher he once was, sure – but he’s still a critically important all-around defender for this team.

Elliss came up big in pass coverage, with both of the targets sent after him falling incomplete (he got a mitt on one of them for a pass deflection). Granderson also produced a couple of stops in high-leverage situations. The Saints defense played their hearts out for much of the game and deserve credit for keeping it close even as the offense collapsed.

Read the rest including bottom five of each side here ...

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill