New Orleans Saints: Breaking down all areas vs. Los Angeles Rams
By Jason Reed
Offense:
Quarterback: Advantage, Saints
There is a very, very small list of quarterbacks that can actually lay claim to being a better quarterback than Drew Brees. Jared Goff, although he shows flashes and has good stats, is not one of those quarterbacks.
Goff has not proven to be a consistent x-factor in the way that Brees and other elite quarterbacks are where they can take over the game and put the team on their back.
Running backs: Advantage, Saints
To be completely honest, Todd Gurley is one of the few running backs that can actually say they are better than Alvin Kamara. And while there are concerns around his knee, he did look like himself last week.
However, what gives the Saints the very narrow edge is Latavius Murray, who is a much better backup than Malcolm Smith. Don’t let Smith’s two touchdowns in Week 1 fool you. That, mixed with Gurley’s knee, gives the Saints the narrowest of margins in the running game.
Wide receivers: Advantage, Rams
The New Orleans Saints have the best wide receiver on the field in Michael Thomas but the overall receiving corps cannot stand up to the Rams. The Rams have two 1,000 yard guys in Robert Woods and former Saint Brandin Cooks as well as a special slot guy in Cooper Kupp.
Tight ends: Advantage, Rams
If Jared Cook would have had a better Week 1 then I would have given the edge to the Saints. However, he was a bit of a non-factor in the first game of the year, which is not indicative of his overall ability but does move his value down slightly as it is his current value.
Plus, the Rams have two decent tight ends in Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett and while Josh Hill is good, the duo of Higbee and Everett can do more than Cook and Hill.
Granted, this is also a very narrow margin that can easily seem foolish if Cook has a big game, which he is capable of.
Offensive line: Advantage, Saints
The New Orleans Saints have one of the best offensive lines in the league. The Los Angeles Rams have a very solid offensive line that is more than capable and is above league-average, but is not as deep and well-rounded as the Saints’.