On the very first drive of Sunday’s game, the Carolina Panthers sent a creative blitz against the New Orleans Saints on third and 6, resulting in a throw under pressure that sailed over the receivers head and forced the punting unit to jog onto the field after a three and out.
The Panthers sent six rushers on the play. Two linebackers performed a “Cross Dog” blitz, in which they try to confuse the offensive line by crossing sides at the snap and rushing through the A gaps. Safety Tre’von Moehrig also looped between the left tackle and left guard, and came unblocked to deliver a hit on Saints rookie Tyler Shough.
That play was notable because it happened a lot: Carolina blitzed Shough on 71.4 % of his third down drop backs, the highest rate in the league in Week 15 according to Next Gen Stats, and 39.5 % of his drop backs overall.
It was also notable because it was the last time the ball would hit the ground in the game when the Panthers sent extra rushers.
Shough completed each of his last 10 passes against the blitz Sunday, with those throws going for 110 yards and a touchdown. On third down specifically, Shough completed five of his six attempts against the blitz for 59 yards, and all but one of those completions resulted in a first down or a score — two of them on third and 6, and two on third and 13.
It is worth noting that the Panthers recorded three of their five sacks while blitzing. This is still an area where Shough needs to improve. Since he took over as the starter in Week 9, he’s been sacked 20 times — more than all but four quarterbacks.
But the important thing is, more often than not, Shough and the Saints had an answer ready for pressure.
The offensive line and running backs deserve some credit for the performance. Take his fourth quarter touchdown pass to Chris Olave as an example.
On that play, a third and 6 from the 12-yard line, Carolina sent a “zero” blitz — meaning they sent the house; seven rushers, four players in coverage. New Orleans picked up the pressure, with a key block from running back Audric Estime, who popped Moehrig. Shough had to get rid of the ball quickly, but he had a textbook clean pocket to operate from.
But then Shough and his pass catchers had to do the rest, and the secondary part of the play was brilliant, too.
Chris Olave was isolated on the left side of the formation against the Panthers top corner, JayCee Horn. At first glance, Horn looked to be taking away what the Saints wanted to do. Olave was running a slant route, and Horn was playing with inside leverage — meaning he was shaded toward the middle of the field, trying to take away an in-breaker.
Olave beat him anyway, and Shough delivered a perfect pass beyond a diving Horn’s fingertips for the game-tying score.
Sunday’s performance represented yet another area where Shough has taken massive strides in six career starts. In his first three starts, he completed just six of his 20 passes against the blitz.
But in his last three games, Shough is 19-for-25 for 189 yards and two touchdowns against the blitz. That is good for a 123.6 passer rating. The Saints have gone as he has, winning two of those three games and nearly pulling off a comeback in the loss.
Odds and ends
I loved the creativity from coach Kellen Moore on the Saints’ first touchdown. Rookie left tackle Kelvin Banks lined up as a tight end on the play over right tackle Taliese Fuaga’s right shoulder. New Orleans then proceeded to run Devin Neal behind its two best offensive linemen on a four-yard touchdown. Banks, on the play, drove Panthers edge rusher Nic Scourton back into the end zone.
Something that probably isn’t talked about enough: Davon Godchaux has had a big impact on this team. There’s a reason the Saints are suddenly a stout defense on third- or fourth and 1 situations, and the big veteran in the middle eating up blocks and making plays probably is a big part of that. After coming up with yet another stop on fourth and 1 stop against the Carolina Panthers — their fifth such stop this season — the Saints now rank tied for seventh among NFL teams in first down percentage when facing a third- or fourth and 1 situation this season, having allowed 20 first downs on 38 attempts (52.6 %). That’s nearly a 10 % improvement over last season.
If there’s one area of concern coming from this game, it is what Bryce Young was able to do as a scrambler. He rushed for a season-high 49 yards against New Orleans, and three of his scrambles converted third downs — including conversions on third and 9 and third and 10.
Danny Stutsman has had a relatively quiet rookie season while playing limited defensive snaps behind starters Pete Werner and Demario Davis. But he seems to do something every game that catches your eye, and Sunday it was a monster hit in punt coverage.
This game will not be remembered as one of Quincy Riley’s best, but he still showed up in a couple crucial moments. His breakup of a pass intended for Tetairoa McMillan in the end zone was a great example of why the Saints rave about his ball skills — Riley got his hand in at the last second and deflected a sure touchdown. Riley also made a critical open-field tackle on Carolina’s final drive.