New Orleans Saints

GRADE
Date	Current	Previous
01/12/12	C-	B
The Saints turned it over five times but were still in position to win the game twice in the final five minutes. However, both times their defense let them down, as 49ers QB Alex Smith and TE Vernon Davis wreaked havoc on the Saints safeties. Brees threw for 458 yards and four touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough. -- Michael Erler
01/05/12	B	A
The Saints made some uncharacteristic mistakes early against the Lions with two turnovers and plenty of leaky defense. The leaky defense continued as Calvin Johnson went nuts, but Drew Brees and his cast of offensive weapons went more nuts as the Saints erased the nightmare of last year's Wild Card loss to Seattle. -- Larry Holder
12/29/11	A	A-
The Saints broke just about every offensive record imaginable Sunday vs. the Panthers. So the offense was obviously clicking. The defense allowed a ton of yardage on the ground, but Cam Newton didn’t do too much damage. The Saints have won eight in a row and no one wants to play the Saints in the postseason. -- Larry Holder, RapidReports Correspondent
12/22/11
12/15/11	A-	B+
In a game where the Saints started slow with dropped passes, uncharacteristic fumbles and a meandering running game, QB Drew Brees and the Saints offense quickly turned things around and proceeded to dismantle the Vikings (42-20). With Brees earning passing records and the Saints defense completely shutting down the Minnesota offense (199 yards), the Saints looked playoff ready. -- Joe Oberle, RapidReports Correspondent
12/08/11	B+	B
The Saints escaped Nashville with a closer-than-expected win. Drew Brees was held without a TD for the first three quarters, but moved the offense down the field with surgical precision on two TD drives in the fourth quarter. The defense held in critical short-yard situations stopping Jake Locker on a late 4th and 1 sneak and sacking him to end the game. -- Matt Rybaltowski, RapidReports Correspondent
12/01/11	B	A
By no means was it picture perfect. Sometimes it doesn't have to be when Drew Brees is having a record-breaking season offensively. The Lions exposed the Saints secondary several times and a lack of pass rush could eventually bite New Orleans. Yet the Saints did slow down Calvin Johnson. And with the Falcons going down, they have quite a grip on the NFC South race. -- Larry Holder, RapidReports Correspondent
11/24/11	A	C
Drew Brees completely torched the Giants defense as he's done to almost everyone this season and his O-line kept him clean. And the Saints defense came to play with two turnovers and didn't allow a first-half touchdown for the third consecutive week. Another complete game for the Saints at home as New Orleans is 5-0 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. -- Larry Holder, RapidReports Correspondent
11/17/11
11/10/11	C	B
Some aspects of play for the Saints were good. Their offensive line kept Drew Brees upright and gave him tons of time. However, New Orleans was outgained, failed to win the time of possession battle, and gave up a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter to Atlanta. Even with the win, New Orleans should wonder how things went so wrong. -- Knox Bardeen, RapidReports Correspondent
11/03/11	B	D-
The Saints got back to what wins them games: balanced offense and a bend-but-don't-break defense. The run game returned as the Saints are now 6-0 when they rush for 100 or more yards and Drew Brees was efficient in the passing game. The defense never really allowed the Bucs to gain any momentum as the Saints bounced back after last week's embarrassment. -- Larry Holder, RapidReports Correspondent
10/27/11	D-	A+
It's tough to say if the Saints took the previously winless Rams lightly, but they turned in their worst performance of the season. QB Drew Brees was sacked five times, intercepted twice and the Saints defense allowed 324 yards -- including 184 on the ground. -- Ron Clements, RapidReports Correspondent
10/20/11	A+	C-
The Saints offense moved the ball better than it had in team history, and all of that with Sean Payton calling the offensive plays in the coaches' booth. The defense played with more energy than we've seen in a while and actually won the turnover battle, which had been a rarity this season. -- Larry Holder, RapidReports Correspondent
10/13/11	C-	B+
The Saints committed too many turnovers to overcome. The Saints also failed to score TDs on three trips inside the red zone, twice getting field goals and once throwing an INT. On the defensive side, New Orleans blew several coverages, the most damaging a 65-yard TD pass to Bucs WR Arrelious Benn in the second quarter. -- Scott Purks, RapidReports Correspondent
10/06/11	B+	B+
Drew Brees was fantastic again, passing for 359 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Jimmy Graham was a dominant force for the Saints, catching eight balls for 129 yards. The defense struggled, allowing the Panthers to score three touchdowns on three consecutive possessions. -- Steve Reed, RapidReports Correspondent
09/29/11	B+	B
The Saints didn't play perfectly and they actually allowed the Jaguars to stay around longer than they perhaps should have. Still, the Saints' defense did a good job not letting the Jaguars back into the game when they had opportunities. The Saints' offense wasn't as efficient in scoring territory as they usually are, but they moved effectively enough. -- John Oehser, RapidReports Correspondent
09/22/11	B	B+
The Saints' defense couldn't stop the Texans' offense until it went inside the 20. That's what saved the Saints on Sunday despite the gaudy yardage numbers. That, and having Drew Brees orchestrate two picture perfect fourth-quarter scoring drives topped off with two two-point conversions. New Orleans took the game away from Houston. -- Larry Holder, RapidReports Correspondent
09/15/11	B+	B-
The defense bounced back nicely after the Packers shredded the Saints last week by putting tons of pressure on Jay Cutler and forcing a big second-half turnover. The Saints offense also put up back-to-back 30-point outputs against two stout defenses. It wasn't perfect, but it's what the Saints needed. -- Larry Holder, RapidReports Correspondent
09/08/11	B-	-
They gave up 21 first-quarter points and nearly 400 yards of total offense to the Packers, but they came within inches of potentially sending the game to overtime on the final play. QB Drew Brees was in midseason form, perhaps due to the offseason workouts he organized, and their receivers are for real. Besides the feeble defensive effort, the offensive line gave up three sacks. -- James Carlton, RapidReports Correspondent

GPA Key
A = 4.0	A- = 3.7	B+ = 3.3
B = 3.0	B- = 2.7	C+ = 2.3
C = 2.0	C- = 1.7	D+ = 1.3
D = 1.0	D- = 0.7