NFL News & Analysis

NFL Week 8 PFF ReFocused: New Orleans Saints 31, Arizona Cardinals 9

Drew Brees returned from injury and led the New Orleans Saints to a 31-9 win over the Arizona Cardinals at home in Week 8.

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PFF's ReFocused series features immediate takeaways from the two analysts who graded the game live. The two offer a detailed breakdown of the game's most notable performances before the grades and advanced stats are reviewed and finalized by Senior Analysts.

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Final Score

New Orleans Saints 31, Arizona Cardinals 9

New Orleans Saints

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson showed great ability in coverage in this game. The rookie was responsible for two pass breakups in the game and really helped the Saints' defense shut down the Cardinals' deep passing attack.

Cam Jordan was causing Arizona's right tackle problems when rushing the passer all game. His pressures did result in Kyler Murray not having enough time in the pocket and throwing away the ball on occasions

Drew Brees looked sharp on his return to action, almost passing for 400 yards on the day including three touchdown passes. His only error came when he overthrew a go route to line, which was picked off by Patrick Peterson

Latavius Murray ran the ball well for the Saints, constantly moving the chains and forcing missed tackles. The running back contributed to two touchdowns on the day, one on the ground and one in the passing game.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals' rushing attack was virtually non-existent against New Orleans. Chase Edmonds left with an injury in the second half, and quarterback Kyler Murray was more willing to stay in the pocket than take off and run.

Charles Clay had a big game at tight end. He was constantly open downfield, which resulted in some big gains for the Cardinals' offense. His big plays were responsible for getting the cards in scoring range for their two field goals.

Byron Murphy struggled to make tackles in this game, as did most of the defense. He stood out especially in this regard, as his missed tackles in both the run and the passing game resulted in big plays for the Saints' defense.

Ryan Ramczyk struggled to contain Chandler Jones on multiple snaps in the game, as he recorded a few pressures against one of the better tackles in the NFL. He was the only defender that seemed to get any pressure, as Brees found himself free of pressure on most of his dropbacks, allowing him to pick apart the Cardinals' pass defense.

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