The New Orleans Saints delivered several excellent performances in their win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with many notable contributions coming from the young players. One in particular was from a player many believed would deliver a performance like this: Rookie RB Devin Neal.
How Devin Neal Got to the Starting Spot
Before RB Kendre Miller went down with a season-ending injury, Neal’s impact on offense came from the one or two snaps he blocked in the backfield. Other than those moments, his role was nearly non-existent in the offense, and even after Neal was put in as RB2 behind Alvin Kamara, his role was not significant enough.
Kamara has struggled all season, as seen from his 40th overall ranking in PFSN’s RB Impact Metric, so not relying on the rookie a bit more created a confusing situation. Still, when Neal did get on the field, he looked like a powerful runner and was excellent at blocking.
When Kamara then went down with his own injury against the Atlanta Falcons, Neal was elevated as the #1 RB, but for some reason, the Saints still did not go his way enough. In Miami the following week, New Orleans relied more on Neal, but a mix of abandoning the run and poor run blocking prevented a big game from happening. Now, we’re in Week 14.
Neal’s Performance against Tampa Bay
After everything that has occurred up to this point, Neal has finally had his breakout performance. Against the Buccaneers, Neal finished with 70 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 1 reception for 14 yards (which was caught in the backfield and converted on third down), and essential blocks throughout the game. One stat that jumps out is Neal’s longest run of the day, which was 21 yards.
To many, a 21-yard rush as the longest run may not look like an impressive stat, but for the Saints, this was something missing in their offense. HC Kellen Moore has repeatedly said how important it is to have homerun/splash plays in the run game, but that has not happened at all this season.
If Neal can continue to run hard, pick up tough yards, block well, be a weapon in the pass game, step up as a workhorse back, and have splash plays, there is a real chance the Saints can rely on him for the foreseeable future.