PFF Grades And Statistical Deep Dive Saints | NFL

Jamie UK • September 26, 2023

PFF Grades And Statistical Deep Dive Into The Saints Week 3 Loss Against The Packers

        There’s a lot to break down from the Saints loss to the Packers each week I take a look through the advanced statistics provided by PFF to see what nuggets I can find. Stats don’t tell the whole story of a game, but it does sometimes when given context give you so much useful info you wouldn’t realize about.

How the grades work:

Top 5 Offensive Grades

        Not surprising that Olave leads the Saints in PFF’s offensive grade, he was excellent again on Sunday and made some tough catches his Elite grade reflects that too. The rest of the grades I think reflect how dysfunctional the offense was on Sunday all 4 of the remaining top 5 were players who didn’t play the full complement of snaps, therefore fewer plays for PFF to grade unfavorably.


Bottom 5 Offensive Grades

        Not surprised to see Landon Young grade out this low, he played very few snaps and lost quickly on a sack of Jameis Winston. Juwan Johnson continues his poor start to the start of the season (or at least PFF thinks so). It was clear Carr struggled in this game but he did hit some big throws (namely the one to Olave down the right sideline) so I'm surprised he was this low but this would imply PFF have seen a few warts that are not related to the protection here. Shaheed is a curious one but to point out his grade here won't include his punt return which would fall under PFF’s special teams grade which he scored 86.8 in the punt game and 58.8 in kickoffs. He continues regardless of PFF rating has performed far better as a punt returner than a kick returner and I'd like to see the Saints use someone else to return kick-offs (maybe Bowden), too many times Shaheed is choosing to return kicks and not make it back to the 25.


Top 5 Defensive Grades

        Lonnie Johnson Jr. leads the way for the defense, he was impactful in limited reps, he played all his 8 snaps at FS, didn’t surrender a catch, and had the interception. I thought Yiadom played really well considering he’s mainly been a special team player, I'll get into his coverage stats shortly. Encouraged to see Isaiah Foskey grade out well, I’ll be honest I didn’t notice him much in the game but PFF saw something.


Bottom 5 Defensive Grades

        Surprised to see Davis and Lattimore so low this is where I don’t massively agree with the grades. Both Davis and Lattimore didn’t give up much in coverage at all (Davis was targeted 6 times and gave up 2 catches for 12 yards, Davis wasn’t credited for a missed tackle either (it looked like he missed one the goal-line on the Jordan Love TD run) which usually dings the grade, so I don’t see why they are this low. More on Lattimore’s coverage shortly. Werner on the other hand struggled in coverage this game, he ended up being targeted 7 times giving up 7 catches for 69 yards and 3 first down conversations. Werner has been solid in this area so I don’t expect this to be a weekly occurrence.


Pressure Stats

Offense 

Trevor Penning- 1 pressures (1 QB hit). Pass Blocking Efficiency Score 98.7.

James Hurst- 2 pressures (2 hurries). Pass Blocking Efficiency Score 97.4.

Erik McCoy- 2 pressures (1 sack and 1 hurry). Pass Blocking Efficiency Score 96.1.

Cesar Ruiz- 0 pressures * only played 10 snaps. Pass Blocking Efficiency Score 100.

Ryan Ramczyk- 3 pressures (2 sacks, 1 hurry). Pass Blocking Efficiency Score 93.4.

Andrus Peat- 1 pressure (1 QB hit). Pass Blocking Efficiency Score 98.3.

Landon Young- 1 pressure (1 sack). Pass Blocking Efficiency Score 66.7. YUCK! Young only played 3 pass-blocking snaps.

** Pass Blocking Efficiency - A PFF Signature stat measuring pressure allowed on a per-snap basis with weighting toward sacks allowed.


        Watching live this looked like it was Penning’s best game from a pass-blocking perspective and the stats would back that up, the efficiency score is a particular improvement. From a stats perspective, this was the Saints O-line’s best game in pass pro, only giving up 10 total pressures, compared to 12 in week 2 and 15 in week 1. Of course, it still is and needs to be cleaned up otherwise QB injuries are going to continue to happen.


Defense

Cam Jordan- 3 pressures (3 hurries).

Bryan Bresee- 2 pressures (2 hurries).

Alontae Taylor- 2 pressures (1 sack and 1 hurry)

Demario Davis- 2 pressures (1 hit and 1 hurry)

Carl Granderson- 1 pressure (1 hurry)

Khalen Saunders- 1 pressure (1 hurry)

Nathan Shepherd- 1 pressure (1 hurry)

Tanoh Kpassagnon- 1 pressure (1 hurry)


        A poor week for the pass rush. Only generated 13 total pressures against a GB line missing their starting LT and LG. The Saints generated 25 total pressures in week 2 and 23 in week 1. So, a big drop-off here and it showed in the game.  The lack of pass rush was a big reason for the Saints collapse in the fourth quarter. Jordan Love was only under pressure on 22% of his dropbacks, compared to week 1 where Ryan Tannehill was pressured on 42.5% and week 2 where Bryce Young was pressured on 48.7% of his dropbacks. That’s a big falloff for the D-line, we all had concerns about this unit entering the year I just hope that weeks 1 and 2 were the true reflection of this unit and not week 3.


Best of the rest 

Some other stats that jumped out:


  • The CBs had a really strong game in coverage overall (minus the penalties, I especially thought Yiadom’s was soft)
  • Alontae Taylor was targeted 11 times, he only surrendered 3 receptions but those 3 did go for 70 yards and all 3 were first downs. So definitely not perfect but to be targeted 11 times and only surrender 3 receptions is still a really strong showing, PFF had him credit for 5 forced incompletions and 3 PBUs. 
  • Yiadom had a similarly strong day in coverage he was targeted 10 times, surrendered only 4 catches for 30 yards, and did surrender 1 touchdown but his coverage was excellent on the play, the WR just made a heck of a catch, 3 PUBs. 
  • Lattimore wasn’t quite as elite as the first two weeks but still didn’t give up much. He was targeted 4 times and surrendered 2 catches for 24 yards, however, both catches surrendered were first downs.


Isaiah Foskey and Carl Granderson both had a good day against the run:

  • Foskey was only in on 4 running plays and had 2 defensive stops* equally a 50% stop rate
  • Granderson had 3 stops (tied for 9th most in week 3) on 20 running plays equalling a still very good 17.6% stop rate.



        The Saints had a good day rushing outside of both the tackles (outside zone?) runs. They rushed 3 times outside the LT for 19 yards (6.3 YPC) and 4 times outside the RT for 17 yards (4.3 YPC). This is a good omen with Alvin Kamara returning as these types of runs are usually a staple of his game.


Make sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram @SaintsReportUK, for much more Saints content and discussion throughout the 2023 season and beyond.

A quick share helps us a lot!

Football player in a green uniform wearing large purple and gold beads, holding up a hand

Class of 2026 Spotlight: 
Colby Simpson

By Patrick Harkness • July 18, 2026
TE 
Colby Simpson 
Simpson possesses prototypical size for a modern tight end, with long arms and a lean, projectable frame that college strength programs can build upon. 
At 6-5/6-6 and 225 lbs, he has the height to be a mismatch in the red zone and the wingspan to high-point balls over defenders. His athleticism is evident from his two-way play at Oaks Christian, where he contributed on defense as a sophomore (2023 season: 40 tackles, 1 sack in 12 games). He was among the “eye catchers” at the Redlands Mega Camp in summer 2023, demonstrating fluid movement and explosiveness for his size. 
Physically, Simpson moves well for a big-bodied TE, with good straight-line speed and the ability to accelerate after the catch. 
His frame suggests he could bulk up to 245-255 lbs in college, enhancing his blocking prowess while maintaining receiving upside. Camp performances indicate above-average agility and body control. 
1st Team: All Marmonte League Receiver, All County Receiver, and Oaks Christian Receiver of the year.  
Scouting Report: 
Receiving and Route Running: Simpson shows soft hands and the ability to make contested catches, using his height to box out smaller defenders. He runs crisp routes for his size, particularly on seams, posts, and curls, where he can leverage his stride length. After the catch, he has decent yards-after-contact (YAC) ability due to his size and balance, though he isn’t a burner who will outrun secondaries. 
Blocking: One of his stronger suits, given his defensive background. He engages well at the point of attack, using leverage and hand placement to sustain blocks in the run game. In pass protection, he can anchor against edge rushers but needs to add strength to handle Power 5-level defensive linemen consistently. 
Athleticism and Versatility: High-level body control and coordination, allowing him to adjust to off-target throws. His two-way experience (TE/DE) points to football IQ and toughness. He thrives in mismatch situations, splitting out wide or in the slot to exploit linebackers or safeties. Strengths 
Size and Frame: Ideal height/weight combo with room to grow; a red-zone threat who can win 50/50 balls. 
Versatility: Can line up inline, in the slot, or even detached; defensive experience adds edge and physicality. 
Hands and Ball Skills: Reliable catcher with strong concentration in traffic. 
Blocking Prowess: Willing and effective blocker who can contribute immediately in run-heavy offenses. 
Upside: Camp standout with raw tools that could flourish in a college system; nearly 20 offers from Power 4 programs (e.g., Arkansas, Baylor, Illinois, Louisville, Mississippi State, Minnesota, Purdue, Cal, Utah, Oregon State, Washington, Wake Forest) indicate high developmental potential. #RollWave Make sure to follow Patrick Harkness on X
Tulane football player in green jersey number 2, standing against a plain background.

Transfer Portal Spotlight: Destyn Hill

By Patrick Harkness • July 18, 2026
WR 
Destyn Hill- LSU 
Hall is rebuilding the scheme around tempo, a heavy passing game (more than any previous year), pro-style elements, and big-play explosiveness. Hill specifically picked Tulane for this: “Coach Hall said he plans on throwing the ball way more this year than any other year. I like that plan and I am ready to go forward with it.” Hall has raved about his potential: “Really high. At the least, a two-story building. He is really talented and really driven.” With size, speed, polished route-running, and positional versatility, Hill is primed for a breakout as a mismatch weapon in the new system, exactly the kind of high-ceiling addition Hall targeted to elevate the aerial attack. 
Hill checks every box: explosive talent for Hall’s pass-first vision, deep local roots, P4 pedigree with untapped upside, and total commitment to the program. He’s exactly the high-ceiling, homegrown playmaker Tulane needed to inject speed and production into the 2026 offense. Spring practice has already shown the fit, he’s poised for a big year. #RollWave Make sure to follow Patrick Harkness on X
Show More