Highest, lowest Saints PFF player grades from Week 1 win vs. Panthers
The tape has been broken down and the player grades are in from Pro Football Focus, so which New Orleans Saints players made the biggest impacts -- for good and bad? Let's take a look at the highest and lowest PFF player grades on offense and defense, as well as standouts on special teams and the quarterbacks.
Top 5 Offense
C Erik McCoy: 90.7 on 66 snaps
TE Juwan Johnson: 87.8 on 23 snaps
QB Derek Carr: 87.5 on 60 snaps
RB Alvin Kamara: 81.6 on 34 snaps
TE Foster Moreau: 79.3 on 51 snaps
McCoy was one of the few players to stay on the field for every snap in this game. Both of the tight ends made the most of their snaps by catching touchdowns -- though Moreau played more than twice as many reps as Johnson, and he would have seen more if not for a late-game head injury. This was arguably the greatest game Kamara has had in years, too.
Bottom 5 Offense
WR Bub Means: 24.7 on 6 snaps
WR Mason Tipton: 47.5 on 17 snaps
FB Adam Prentice: 51.0 on 24 snaps
WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.: 54.4 on 29 snaps
QB Jake Haener: 55.3 on 6 snaps
It was a rough game for the rookie receivers. Tipton was penalized once and Means couldn't come down with his only target in the passing game. Prentice did well picking up the blitz but he left a lot to be desired as a run blocker, at least according to PFF's grading.
Top 5 Defense
S Tyrann Mathieu: 81.8 on 27 snaps
CB Alontae Taylor: 75.9 on 46 snaps
LB Anfernee Orji: 75.0 on 11 snaps
CB Paulson Adebo: 73.3 on 54 snaps
S Jordan Howden: 68.2 on 47 snaps
It's reassuring to see players who were on the field for so many snaps also grading out so well -- that means they were consistently making a positive impact. These five defenders combined for just one missed tackle (by Mathieu). Adebo was one of Week 1's most-targeted cornerbacks but he yielded just 36 yards on 10 passes into his coverage.
Bottom 5 Defense
LB Willie Gay Jr.: 24.4 on 9 snaps
LB Khaleke Hudson: 30.5 on 5 snaps
DT Bryan Bresee: 42.2 on 36 snaps
DE Payton Turner: 43.5 on 22 snaps
DE Cameron Jordan: 51.8 on 27 snaps
Jordan, Turner, and Bresee accounted for four pressures between the three of them, but all three players graded out poorly in run defense. Hudson and Gay played so few snaps that negative plays made an outsized impact on their overall rating.
Special Teams
TE Juwan Johnson: 93.5 on 4 snaps (kick return, punt return)
LB Anfernee Orji: 84.2 on 21 snaps (KR, kick coverage, PR, punt coverage, field goal block)
WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.: 75.1 on 14 snaps (KR, KC, PR, PC)
DE Isaiah Foskey: 65.9 on 21 snaps (KR, KC, PR, PC, FGB)
S Will Harris: 64.3 on 12 snaps (KC, FBG)
Orji led the team with four special teams tackles (plus an assist), while Foskey, Wilson, and Willie Gay Jr. each also had at least one tackle in the kicking game.
Quarterbacks
Derek Carr: 88.7
Jake Haener: 55.4
Carr did well in his first game with Klint Kubiak on the headset. He completed 19 of his 23 passes for 200 yards and was pressured just three times. Haener was only asked to throw once but he was under pressure on the play and his pass fell incomplete.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Highest, lowest Saints PFF player grades from Week 1 win vs. Panthers
