Saints rest starters, head to playoffs with loss

New Orleans Saints:

Quarterbacks: Drew Brees had just 196 yards passing and completed just 57 percent of his passes. Both of those are well below his season averages as the team was stifled by the infamous Tampa-2 defense.

GRADE: C+

Halfbacks: Christopher Ivory is injured again. Here’s a thought n maybe he shouldn’t run through a brick wall every single play. The team did average nearly five yards per pop on the ground, though. This grade would be higher if not for a terrible fumble by Julius Jones.

GRADE: C+

Wide Receivers: Playing the role of Marques Colston this weekend was Adrian Arrington, who caught seven passes for 79 yards. Though beat up, the Saints’ receivers made plays when Brees had time to throw.

GRADE: A-

Offensive line: Drew Brees was sacked three times and pressured and hit countless more. The group did run block as well as they have all season, though and that’ll be key in postseason.

GRADE: B-

Defensive line: Sure, LaGarrette Blount had more than 60 yards, but it took him 19 carries to get there. The Saints’ front did a good job against the Bucs’ muscle.

GRADE: B+

Linebackers: Kellen Winslow had just three catches for 28 yards. Against the Buccaneers, that’s not a bad deal at all.

GRADE: B

Defensive backs: OK, I understand Josh Freeman is an up and coming quarterback. But he completed 21-of-26 passes for 255 yards. He’s not exactly Tom Brady just yet, so why did the Saints make him look like he was?

GRADE: D

Special Teams: When was the last time the Black and Gold got a long return on special teams? It’s surely been a while. This team needs Reggie to break one pretty soon.

GRADE: C+

Coaching Staff: The Saints got beaten and bruised, losing Jimmy Graham, Christopher Ivory and Malcolm Jenkins all during the game. So with that said, Sean Payton’s decision to yank his starters earns him a well-deserved solid grade.

GRADE: A

OVERALL GRADE: There’s some good, some bad with this game. The good is the team walked away relatively healthy, because all of their injuries appeared to be minor. The bad is the team didn’t play well when the starters were in and will open the playoffs on the road. Time will tell how that works out, but 11-5 for a Super Bowl champion isn’t too shabby.

TEAM GRADE: B