The New Orleans Saints needed improved play from their offensive line after the first few weeks of the season. They have gotten it from a mix of veterans and young players.
Center Erik McCoy has elevated his game back into a Pro Bowl form. In Week 5, he proved that once again against the New England Patriots.
Erik McCoy: 94.4 PFF Grade vs the Patriots
— PFF NO Saints (@PFF_Saints) October 9, 2023
1st among all offensive linemen in Week 5 pic.twitter.com/AP7J63RY1R
If McCoy continues this level of play, it takes a lot of pressure off of Derek Carr (literally) and McCoy's fellow offensive linemen. Cesar Ruiz has been solid when healthy, and Andrus Peat/James Hurst have found more success in recent weeks.
Not to mention, Ryan Ramcyzk has knocked off early-season rust. Young OT Trevor Penning had a rough first two weeks, but his play has been much better as of late. Reps matter in a major way for him.
The Saints O-Line, as a whole, has kept Derek Carr quite clean in the past two weeks. Plus, Alvin Kamara is finding more holes in the defense as a result of their improved blocking in both the run and pass game.
It will be intriguing to see if McCoy can keep this stretch of elite play going.
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