3 unspoken and under-appreciated players at the core of New Orleans Saints success

Andrus Peat

Andrus Peat has been struggling with injury throughout this year, and it flared up again in this game during a play when he got beat and gave up a sack on Drew Brees. Right now, Peat is only rated as a 49.6 overall by PFF, but his presence on the line is absolutely vital for the team’s stability.

Without Peat, the Saints offensive line still boasts 2 previous Pro-Bowl players in Larry Warford and Terron Armstead. Ryan Ramcyzk is making a case for his first Pro-Bowl as well, but without Peat, there is an obvious hole in that talented front line.

Coming into the matchup against the Falcons, the Saints had only allowed 12 sacks all season. The Falcons managed to add six to that total in just one game. In fact, the Falcons managed to finish the game with only one less sack than they had all season prior to this game.

In Peat’s absence, Will Clapp was used primarily at the left guard position, and the difference between Clapp’s and Peat’s ability showed immediately. Of the six sacks in the game, more than half of them came from rushes up the middle.

Brees had no time to find his targets and multiple drives were stopped in their tracks. Without Peat’s protection, this team can’t produce at their normal rate or convert on important downs to stay competitive.

Peat’s current status is labeled as questionable due to an arm injury that he experienced in Sunday’s game.

Earlier this season, Peat was also missing time and limited in practice due to an ankle injury. At this point, it would be wise to proceed with caution and allow Peat to fully recover. Without him on the line, though, this team may look very different.