One-handed CB Marshon Lattimore still playing lights-out: Saints takeaways vs. Washington

The New Orleans Saints can go into their bye week relatively happy after defeating the Washington Football Team to close out the first part of their season at 3-2.

There’s a lot to be pleased about, along with the hope that a number of injured players will return.

But first, let’s take a step back and review Sunday’s game. Here are some takeaways from the Saints’ 33-22 win over Washington and what that means as they hit their off-week and beyond.

Lattimore’s surgically repaired hand not holding him back

It’s easy to forget that cornerback Marshon Lattimore has full use of really just one hand.

On Sunday, Lattimore was still sporting the cast that was put on after he had surgery for a chipped bone in his right thumb following the Saints’ Week 1 game.

For much of the game, Lattimore covered wide receiver Terry McLaurin, whom he has known since they arrived at Ohio State in 2014. They used to battle each other in practice.

It was a matchup he was particularly eager for, not only because of their history, but because Lattimore likes nothing more than to go against a team’s top wideout for the whole game.

“Yeah, I like that way better, lock in on somebody, do my job,” Lattimore has said.

Not coincidentally, McLaurin had his worst game of the season, with just 4 catches on 11 targets for 46 yards and no touchdowns, averaging only 11.5 yards per catch.

Lattimore on the other hand had a career-high six pass breakups, which is also tied for the second-highest single-game total in the NFL since 1992. He was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

NFC Players of the Week! (Week 5)@TomBrady | @shonrp2 | @TJEdwards8 pic.twitter.com/icVryuDMdP

— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2021

If this is the bar right now, just think of what kind of performance Lattimore might have when the cast comes off. Right now, he’s allowing a career-best passer rating of 68.1 when targeted in coverage (31 targets, 13 completions, one interception). But Lattimore thinks he should have more picks.

“I’ve been dropping picks, man,” he said. “I’m mad about that, but (the cast) is going to come off soon. Hopefully it does. And if it doesn’t, I’ll still be out there dominating.”

Not every Winston turnover is as it seems

It’s easy to pick on Saints quarterback Jameis Winston due to his history of turning the ball over, but not every turnover can be treated the same.

For instance, take Winston’s woefully underthrown attempt to Taysom Hill early in the first quarter Sunday. As Winston dropped back to pass, left guard Andrus Peat was bull-rushed back into him. One of Peat’s feet slid as he attempted to plant himself and he appeared to step backward into Winston, who couldn’t carry his momentum forward enough during his throw to get the ball all the way to Hill in the middle of the field. It was easily picked off by Washington linebacker Cole Holcomb.

“I don’t fault the decision (to throw). I think it’s a right decision,” Winston said. “I’ve got to get a little more oomph on that ball to get it to Taysom. That probably would’ve been a touchdown.”

Saints coach Sean Payton said he didn’t think that Peat was wearing the right cleats on the play.

“We kind of get stepped (on) as we’re throwing it. You’d like not to have as much push, and me the coach would like to have him in the right shoes so he’s not slipping there,” Payton said. “A ton of things go on with each play, but to your question, the pocket’s ever-changing in our league — in other words, throughout the course of the game — and you have to be able to negotiate it, climb it, feel it.”

Winston’s second turnover, at the 3:35 mark of the first quarter, occurred when Winston didn’t appear to see the open receiver to his right. Washington defensive end Chase Young eventually beat right tackle Ryan Ramczyk and Winston was swallowed up for a sack/fumble.

Winston’s interception percentage of 2.4 percent is his lowest since the 2017 season, while his touchdown percentage of 10.3 percent is a career high and leads the league. Winston has completed 70 of 116 passes for 892 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Harris brings the explosive element, but his injury is concerning

The bye week might be particularly timely for wide receiver Deonte Harris, who never returned to the game after a 72-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Harris left with what was described as a hamstring issue after playing only two snaps, though it’s unclear on film when he hurt himself, as he didn’t appear to be pulling up or limping after his long touchdown.

SLING DAT THANG JABOOO 🙌

72 YARD TD STRIKE TO HARRIS 🔥pic.twitter.com/3IE8SJrRL6

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 10, 2021

Harris has been the most explosive receiver on the team this year, and the touchdown was a perfect illustration of that. Winston dropped back to around his own 18-yard line and threw the ball all the way down to the Washington 26-yard line, where Harris had a significant step on the nearest defender.

“I saw they were in quarters, they brought a little soft pressure and no one was in the middle of the field but Deonte,” Winston said. “So I put some air on it, he ran up under and got it.”

Harris came close to the defender only to cross over the field en route to the touchdown, and even then it wasn’t a contest, as it was clear he was never going to slow down enough to be tackled. It was a nice representation of the deep-ball element that had been lacking in previous years, and it was the longest touchdown pass of Winston’s career.

Washington safety Landon Collins said the Saints disguised the play and quick-snapped the ball to catch the defense off guard and coach Ron Rivera said there was supposed to be a defender deep, indicating that Washington was unprepared for the play.

“We’ll have a few plays maybe where we’ll run a second-down play and then go back on the ball. And then we’ll have a few plays that we want to run with a super-fast cadence. And that was one of those super-fast. It sometimes beats crowd noise … and then other times, it’s hard to do,” said Payton. “It’s hard to do that with receivers and wide splits. Sometimes it’s driven by the type of formation you’re in and so you’ll have a tag where everyone knows when you break the huddle, this thing’s going to be like, boom, it’s gone.

“It can catch a defense where the pressure comes late if they’re pressuring, which they were on that play. Guys have to quickly get into their coverage. There’s no disguise. So when you’re playing on the road, you just sit up there in trips or doubles and you go through your cadence, you let the crowd cheer, you let the defense (get set). It’s a changeup to any and all of that.”

Harris has already been playing more than he ever has, with his snap percentage shooting up this year to 35 percent from 16 percent last year. But the hamstring injury shows why the Saints can’t put him in on every play.

That particular injury for Harris dates all the way back to his rookie training camp in 2019, and he was out two games midseason that year with another hamstring injury. He missed one game in 2020 with a hamstring issue before later dealing with a neck injury that kept him out for an extended period of time.

Harris is tied for the team lead with three touchdown receptions and leads the team with 236 receiving yards, so having him out for a while would definitely be a blow to the team, even with the return of Michael Thomas. Few can do what Harris does, not only as a kick returner but also as a true deep threat.

If Harris is out, expect to see more of Kenny Stills, who had 40 snaps and five targets against Washington. He had two receptions for 17 yards but is still coming along as he gets acclimated. That’s why Harris (and Taysom Hill as well when he was injured) wasn’t immediately replaceable against Washington.

“When you have an injury to a player, there are some plays that you’re just not going to call because it might have been just the focal point of that player,” said Payton. “And then there’s a good portion of your offense where Deonte’s backup, whether it’s Kenny Stills or one of the other receivers, is learning that package. … But there are a few plays that you just take a Sharpie through.”

Saints made the right call with Gillikin

It probably wasn’t easy for the Saints to let go of longtime punter and fan favorite Thomas Morstead. The 35-year-old, now with the Jets, is far from done; his 47.5 yards-per-punt average is his best in years.

But the Saints knew from the beginning of the 2020 camp that they might have something special in Blake Gillikin, which is why they didn’t negotiate to bring Morstead back on a lower salary upon his release in the offseason.

Gillikin showed why on Sunday.

It was clear from the start that Gillikin had a big leg, but doing what he did against Washington is another matter entirely. He had five punts for an average of 53.6 yards (51.6 net yards) and placed three punts deep in Washington territory. He’s the first punter since 2000 to have three punts of 53 yards or more downed inside the 3-yard line.

Payton talks about Gillikin's performance and says he was just awarded the game ballpic.twitter.com/KI95uwbqI2

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 10, 2021

Gillikin received a game ball and praise from his coach and teammates, which is rare for a punter. Yet the NFL failed to recognize his big game when handing out Player of the Week honors.

“No appreciation for punters,” tweeted teammate Wil Lutz.

🤔🤔 No appreciation for punters @blakegillikin https://t.co/7CJkEND3Sr

— Wil Lutz (@wil_lutz5) October 13, 2021

Speaking of Lutz, who has been sidelined with a core muscle injury since training camp, he doesn’t appear to be coming back anytime soon. The Saints have moved on to yet another kicker, signing Brian Johnson off the Bears’ practice squad after Cody Parkey, who missed two PATs against Washington, was released after just one game with an injury settlement after apparently injuring his groin during warmups. This is his second injury settlement of the year; he injured his quad and was released by the Browns.

Johnson will now count against the 53-man roster and will be paid for at least three weeks, even if he’s released before that time.

The earliest timetable for Lutz’s return following his Aug. 10 surgery would’ve been the two-month mark, or against Washington. If he goes all the way to 12 weeks, he would return against the Falcons on Nov. 7. Assuming he’s out for the game against the Seahawks but could come back against the Buccaneers on Oct. 31, the Saints would have two kickers on the active roster for only a week.

This, of course, comes after the Saints released Aldrick Rosas, Lutz’s original replacement, due to his early struggles.

Saints continue to feel better about their CB situation

The Saints released cornerback Desmond Trufant this week, indicating they don’t feel they need the insurance asset due to the strong play of Paulson Adebo. They’re also eligible to get Ken Crawley back but haven’t moved him from injured reserve to the active roster.

Adebo played fewer snaps Sunday compared to the previous week but had a better game, allowing three completions off six targets in coverage with one interception and only one missed tackle. The Saints have been incorporating in Bradley Roby more as well, putting him in for 20 snaps both this week and last week.

The Saints clearly want to incorporate Roby more after trading for him, but it seems like at the moment, it’ll be more of a matchup-based decision than going with just one or the other full-time.

“We felt when we traded for him he was going to be a good addition for us. How do we get him on the field? And obviously, Paulson’s playing well, but it’s a good challenge for us to sort out defensively,” Payton said. “Keep those guys actively involved in not only the base defense, but other personnel packages.”

He added: “I know D.A. (defensive coordinator Dennis Allen) and I were talking with (Roby) that there were some situations where we wanted to see him, and I’m sure we’ll continue to be smart in how we use all those guys. Paulson’s been playing well, and at the start of the season, it was a position that we were not concerned with, but from a depth standpoint, it was something that we felt we needed to address and I think the good news is we have.”

(Photo of Marshon Lattimore defending a pass: Stephen Lew / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)