With Week 15 in the books, let’s take a look at who stood out for New Orleans.
The New Orleans Saints narrowly fell to the Washington Commanders 20-19 on Sunday afternoon. They now sit third in the division at 5-9 as their playoff hopes continue to fade.
This week’s breakout player has been stacking impressive performances as of late and is emerging as one of the more valuable depth pieces for the New Orleans defense. The breakout player from the Saints’ Week 15 loss to the Commanders is DB Ugo Amadi.
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The veteran defensive back recorded 7 total tackles (5 solo and 1 TFL), 3 stops, 1 sack, and 1 pass batted at the line of scrimmage against Washington while posting a 91.0 pass rush grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
Ugo’s versatility has been extremely beneficial for New Orleans over the past two seasons when short-handed and in need of experience, particularly following the trade of All-Pro CB Marshon Lattimore. The 27-year-old has stepped up since taking over as the starting slot corner with Alontae Taylor moving out wide. His 401 defensive snaps this season are the most he’s seen since his 692 snaps with the Seattle Seahawks in 2021.
In Week 14 against the New York Giants, Amadi tallied 8 total tackles (6 solo), 3 stops, 2 pass breakups, and an 80.3 overall PFF grade (81.6 run defense and 77.8 coverage).