Going into Week 2, the big question was could the New Orleans Saints stop Derrick Henry after allowing 156 rushing yards to Jahmyr Gibbs the week prior. Henry had a moderate day by his standards, but Brandon Staley’s unit didn’t fully answer that question. Now, Las Vegas Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty continues the streak of talented rushers the Saints have to face to start the season.
The biggest win the Saints had against Henry was Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle choosing not to run the football late in the game. Henry had 4 carries on the field goal drive in the second half, but failed to match that total in the rest of the half combined. Henry was having a solid day prior to that, and the Ravens definitely let them off the hook for that.
Don’t count on the Raiders making that same mistake. Jeanty has carried the ball 20 or more times in each of the first two games and should do the same if they aren’t playing catch up.
Saints have continue to limit explosive plays
One thing the Saints did do well was keep Henry from explosive plays. His longest run was 8 yards on 16 attempts. Abandoning the run aside, that is a major win for the Saints defense.
It was a great departure from the struggles against Gibbs and should be the first priority against Jeanty. Henry had good runs, but the lack of explosive plays will make many offensive coordinators step away from the run. Sometimes you have to test just how patient a play caller will be.
6 and 7 yard runs don’t feel good in the moment, but if that’s the extent of good runs then the defense is doing their job. It’s also hard to rip those runs off consistently. Jeanty hasn’t had many explosive runs this year, and it’s reflected in his yards per carry.
The Vegas running back is averaging only 3.4 yards per carry, and his longest run is 15 yards. He had more success in Week 1, but even that was just a 4.4 yard average. The Saints are taking that for sure, and it'll be one of the keys to victory.
Holding Jeanty to under 50 yards on over 20 carries isn't happening two weeks in a row, but that shouldn't be the bar for success either. If the Saints can force the Raiders to chip away at the defense and work for longer drives, the defense has a greater chance for success.
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