Winners and losers from Saints’ season finale vs. Falcons
The New Orleans Saints won’t be participating in the playoffs due to the Rams losing to the 49ers. Fans held their collective breath as the game went into overtime but the Niners pulled off the W and will grab that final NFC playoff spot as a result.
It was a disappointing end to a tumultuous season but with everything that happened to this NOLA team this year, to see them go 9-8 is pretty damn impressive.
The season might be over but we can still check out the winners and the losers from the 30-20 victory over the Falcons.
Saints Week 18 Winners
Alvin Kamara
It was fun to see Alvin Kamara straight-up bully the Falcons defenders, running the ball 30 times for a total of 146 yards. Kamara also had two catches for 16 yards and was dominant throughout.
Tre’Quan Smith
This wasn’t the kind of season fans were hoping for from Tre’Quan Smith but he had a nice game on Sunday. The former third-round pick totaled five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown in what could end up being the final game of his Saints career, as he’s slated to hit free agency and might not be brought back.
Marcus Davenport
One of my favorite storylines this season was seeing the resurgence from former first-round pick, Marcus Davenport. The guy had been written off by a good chunk of the fan base but he showed he’s not a bust this season and had another dominant outing. Davenport had 1.5 sacks and three total hits on the quarterback. What a season for him.
Trevor Siemian
It’s hard to step into a game as a backup quarterback and Trevor Siemian has now had to do that twice this season. He wasn’t perfect when filling in for Taysom Hill but he did what needed to be done, completing nine passes for 71 yards with two of those passes going for touchdowns. Siemian didn’t have it easy in New Orleans but he impressed me in this one.
Saints Week 18 Losers
Marquez Callaway
After several good games in a row from Marquez Callaway, he was nowhere to be found in the Week 18 victory over the Falcons. He was targeted once but didn’t come up with the catch, giving him a goose egg on the stat sheet.
Los Angeles Rams
It was painful enough having to root for the Rams in order to get into the postseason but just when we started to feel less gross about it, they blew a 17-0 lead and ended up losing in overtime. Just like that, the Saints’ playoff hopes were dashed.
Thanks for nothing, Rams.
"4 oldest NFL players to ever wear a Saints uniform"
The regular season is over for the New Orleans Saints and we’ll have a lot to discuss this offseason. For now, however, it’s okay to sit back and reflect on the season that was.