1 week Ago
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (10) celebrate after a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half in New Orleans on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Staff photo by Brett Duke, The Times-Picayune) Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save On their first offensive play against the Atlanta Falcons this past week, the New Orleans Saints went back to their bread and butter from their hot start to the season.
At the snap, Alvin Kamara and the Saints offensive line moved as if Kamara was taking an outside zone handoff to the right side of the formation. Atlanta’s defense crashed hard toward the action as quarterback Derek Carr pulled the ball and rolled to his left, where he saw Taysom Hill had beaten his man with a simple out route. Carr got him the ball, Hill broke one feeble tackle attempt and was off to the races for what appeared to be an 88-yard touchdown — but the score was nullified by a holding penalty.
“I told Taysom if he scored on that play I’d give him $1,000, but he didn’t score,” Carr said with a grin. Still, the opening play was a sign of things to come. The play-action passing game was a critical component of the Saints’ offensive attack when they put up 91 points in their first two games this season — with Carr completing 12 of his 17 play-action attempts for 193 yards and two scores in those games — but it tailed off dramatically during their seven-game losing streak.
But Sunday against Atlanta, it was once again a useful corner of offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s play sheet. Including that pass to Hill, which counted as a gain of 34 yards, Carr went 5-for-7 for 130 yards and a touchdown on play action passes. His 153.
3 passer rating on such calls was a season-best. New Orleans used play action on 28 % of their dropbacks, their third-highest usage rate this season behind only Weeks 1 (36 %) and 2 (41.1 %).
In fact, Carr threw for more yards on play action throws in Week 10 than he did in his previous four starts combined (125 yards). Interim head coach Darren Rizzi said getting the play action game going again was a point of emphasis last week. Carr didn’t quite go that far.
“How were those games flowing? How was the run game going? ...
If the run (plays) we were running weren’t the best, then those play actions probably won’t mean anything to the safeties — so many variables,” Carr said. “..
. I can speak for this last game: We ran the ball efficiently on some runs, and then the play actions looked very similar. That’s what works.
“When you hit one, it gives you confidence for the next one. It’s on us as players, when Klint calls them, let’s hit ‘em.” New Orleans hit that first one, on the rollout to Hill, then later in the half hit two more big plays: A 67-yard deep shot to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, followed by a 2-yard score to Valdes-Scantling later on the drive.
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