Saints: Winners and losers from Week 9 loss to Falcons
By Kristen Wong
1. Pete Werner
Usually it’s his veteran teammate Demario Davis on this list, but Werner turned on his beast mode for this game, too.
He had one particularly memorable stop on the Falcons’ 4th down in the second quarter and finished the game with three total tackles. Werner and Davis will make quite the linebacker duo this season. Now, if only the Saints could improve their offense…
Yeah, the fans got the message. And Pete Werner deservedly gets a ROAR on that 4th down stop. pic.twitter.com/eiRIIhWUUI
— Maddy Hudak (@MaddyHudak_94) November 7, 2021
2. RB room
Another week, another amazing haul from Alvin Kamara. The man doesn’t surprise us anymore.
Kamara was once again the lifeforce of New Orleans’ offensive schemes with 13 carries for 50 rushing yards and one touchdown.
His “partner-in-crime”, Mark Ingram, had a nice running day too with nine carries for 43 rushing yards.
Sean Payton described Alvin Kamara as Mark Ingram's "little partner in crime." That's hilarious
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) October 29, 2021
As long as the two are dominating the backfield, Saints morale should remain at least somewhat high. These two backs have a lot of history, and they plan on carving out a bright future for New Orleans’ running offense in 2021.
3. Brian Johnson
Kicker Brian Johnson went 2-for-2 on field goal attempts with a long of 52, and he scored his sole extra point attempt as well.
The former undrafted free agent came up clutch in the Saints game against the Seattle Seahawks, and he did so again against the Falcons in Week 9. New Orleans needed more than just completed field goals to get the W, but that’s not Johnson’s fault. The young ‘un’s coming along just fine.
4. Trevor Siemian
The winners of this list wouldn’t be complete without the Saints quarterback, Trevor Siemian, who nearly led an incredible comeback in the fourth quarter.
Siemian finished 25-of-41 for 249 yards and two touchdowns. His stat sheet doesn’t show it, but Siemian had plenty of nice throws to try and jumpstart New Orleans’ offense early on, but his receivers simply weren’t on top of their game.
That's at least the 4th time Trevor Siemian hit a receiver in the hands at it fell incomplete.
— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) November 7, 2021
He didn’t throw a pick. He took care of the football. He found Kenny Stills and Marquez Callaway for a pair of scores late in the game, proving he could perform under pressure.
The Saints’ passing game clearly still needs work after this potential division-deciding loss, but Siemian has filled in well in Winston’s absence. Sean Payton, his teammates, and Saints fans should feel less uneasy about him at the starting QB spot.