New Orleans Saints @ Los Angeles Rams
Final Score: Rams 34, Saints 10
Writer: Chris Helle (@ChrisHelleQBL on Twitter/X, Reddit)
Yeah, this game went about as expected. It was the first start for Tyler Shough, but he isn’t to blame for the way this turned out. The Saints essentially conceded their run game, but the Rams’ pass rush was relentless in stymying any rhythm for Shough. The other side of the ball was a cakewalk for L.A. Matthew Stafford started perfectly, completing 8/8 passes with a TD to Tyler Higbee on their first drive. New Orleans started in soft zones, which were easy for Stafford to take advantage of. Once they switched to more man coverages, it opened the gates for Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to do their thing. Mix in the consistent 6-yarders from Kyren Williams and a healthy sprinkle of work to the tight ends, and you get a McVay Classic.
Two Up
- Tyler Shough — The game plan and matchup failed him, but he fought through it all and put some good reps on film.
- Davante Adams – In addition to a couple of chunk gains, Adams was a red zone monster, catching two of Stafford’s four TDs.
Two Down
- Alvin Kamara — Less than 10 opportunities on the day, and he fumbled one away. Keep an eye on the snap counts of Devin Neal, too.
- Joshua Karty — Missed an XP early, and also his lone FGA right before half (that miss led to the Saints’ only TD drive of the game).
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Tyler Shough: 15/24, 176 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 1 Carry, 2 Yards
It’s tough when you’re dealt a losing hand, but Tyler Shough seems to be a capable and responsible QB. He completed some tight window throws over the middle of the field, as well as multiple well-placed balls along the sidelines. The sacks he took came quickly and were unavoidable. He led a nice 2-minute drive to close out the first half with a touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson. The blemish of an interception late in the game is indeed his to bear, but I’d be willing to chalk up a throw on the move during a broken play on 4th down when losing by 24 as nothing to worry about. As with all pocket passers, his limiting factor will be pass protection.
Running Back
Alvin Kamara: 6 Carries, 14 Yards, Fumble (LOST) | 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
It was a small pie to work with, workload-wise. Alvin Kamara was on the field for 24 of the Saints’ 40 snaps, which is a lower rate than fantasy managers would like to see. The main hope for Kamara was through the passing game, his bread-and-butter. But with a rookie QB getting his first start and in a negative game script from the get-go, Kellen Moore tested out Shough’s arm & decision-making. All three of Kamara’s targets were in the first half, and the snap share leaned Neal’s way in the second half.
Devin Neal: 3 Carries, 11 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 1 Yard
Stepping up in the shoes of the injured Kendre Miller, Devin Neal has earned himself a respectable share of the backfield. Unless you call the entire second half garbage time, Neal appears to have carved out a 1B role to Kamara. Neal was the RB3 on the depth chart for a reason, so don’t expect him to turn into fantasy relevance unless Kamara were to also miss time.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Rashid Shaheed: 9 Targets, 5 Receptions, 68 Yards
This is Rashid Shaheed‘s third straight game with nine or more targets. He’s the explosive special teamer, but he’s also developed a complete route tree. Most of the incompletions came from Tyler Shough attempting throws under pressure and an awful throw from Taysom Hill at his feet on a would-be screen, but Shough also overthrew him on a deep ball.
Chris Olave: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 57 Yards
It’s possible that the Saints are trying to boost Rashid Shaheed‘s numbers ahead of the trade deadline. Chris Olave was on the field for two additional snaps and ran an extra route than Shaheed, leading the team in both metrics. This was his lowest target count of the season, but I’d expect a bounceback next week against Carolina.
Juwan Johnson: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 31 Yards, 1 TD
Juwan Johnson provides a steady presence in this offense, in spite of the inconsistencies. He can find pockets in a zone, work the seam, and is a sure-handed big body for goal-line work. The Rams kept the Saints’ volume to a minimum, but Johnson should be a startable fantasy option in more favorable matchups.
Brandin Cooks: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 16 Yards
Taysom Hill: 0/1, 0 Yards | 4 Carries, 30 Yards | 0 Targets
Los Angeles Rams
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford: 24/32, 281 Yards, 4 TDs | 4 Carries, -4 Yards
Just another day at the office for Matthew Stafford. When he’s got time in the pocket, he’s one of the most lethal QBs in the league. He completed passes all over the field and spread the love to seven different pass-catchers. McVay called a number of play-action bootlegs, and the 37-year-old seems to have shaken off the back issues from the preseason. Stafford and this offense are humming in every way.
Running Back
Kyren Williams: 25 Carries, 114 Yards, 1 TD
I almost didn’t believe it when I saw Kyren eclipse 100 yards. He’s the king of death by a thousand cuts. Even on simple inside runs, Kyren Williams always seems to fall forward for a 7-yard gain. The concern for Kyren is goal line usage, but not due to losing it to Blake Corum. Kyren got his goal line TD as the last score of the game, already up 27-10. Prior to that, all four TDs were scored through the air and even in short, goal-to-go situations. Stafford has no problem taking the 1-on-1 with Davante Adams out wide, or finding any of his TEs. All that said, Kyren is the lead back of a cruising Rams offense so he’s still one of the safest fantasy assets in the game.
Blake Corum: 13 Carries, 58 Yards
Blake Corum had 2 carries in the first half, but was given almost the entire opening drive of the second half (score was 20-10 at that point). Corum showed some juice, but has an inclination toward bouncing runs to the exterior. It often turned potential losses into positive gains, but he doesn’t quite have the patience that Kyren has.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Puka Nacua: 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 95 Yards, 1 TD | 1 Carry, 3 Yards
After missing last week with an ankle injury, Puka Nacua returned to his full form. No need to labor on about how good this man is, but he exited the game early with a rib injury after landing on the ball while on a goal-line jet sweep. McVay said after the game that if they needed him to return, he could have.
Davante Adams: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 60 Yards, 2 TDs
Davante Adams had done all of his damage before Puka got hurt, outside of catching his second TD on the very next goal-line play. There was only 1 incompletion due to a PBU and the other was a pass deflected at the line of scrimmage. He had one hitch, but otherwise provides some explosiveness on those intermediate chunk gains of 15-20 yards. The goal line usage is awesome, and his separation & ability to bring in contested catches is as good as ever.
Terrance Ferguson: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 54 Yards
Both of Terrace Ferguson‘s catches were in the first half. The first was a flag route off a smash concept where he was split from the line, and the other was a deep out off the seam for over 30 yards. Stafford looked his way one more time on that drive, lobbing it up for him in the endzone despite the double coverage, but the ball was out of bounds. He may have had the most yards, but Davis Allen and Tyler Higbee both outpaced the rookie in snaps and routes by significant counts.
Davis Allen: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 37 Yards
In probably the most crowded TE room in the NFL, Davis Allen led the group in snap share but mostly in 12 & 13 personnel groupings. This is a slight nod that he’s not the most talented pass catcher of the group.
Tyler Higbee: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 13 Yards, 1 TD
Tyler Higbee had a marginally smaller snap count than Allen, but was the primary TE during 11 personnel. He caught a wide open TD for the first score of the game, and had a nice toe-tapping catch later on. Like Ferguson, his involvement plummeted in the second half, though it was likely due to the lead they had.
Xavier Smith: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 12 Yards
Colby Parkinson: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 10 Yards