New Orleans Saints: Big spot for Tim Hightower

Healthy and comfortably slotted in as the New Orleans Saints feature back with star Mark Ingram injured, running back Tim Hightower has found success on the field in the 2015 season, but can he elevate his play in a potentially difficult Week 16 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars run defense?

In his first start for the New Orleans Saints in Week 14, former Arizona Cardinals and Washington Redskins running back Tim Hightower carried the rock a whopping 28 times, mustering just 3.0 yards per carry in the winning effort. Hightower’s inefficiency didn’t matter, though, because he helped the Saints establish a consistent ground game against an inferior opponent, and the powerful rusher also picked up his first and only touchdown of the year.

Last week in a victory over the Detroit Lions, Hightower earned far less work, but he had an even better day with exactly the same number of yards from scrimmage (95). Hightower, who averaged a safe 4.2 yards per carry, needed to touch the ball just 16 times in that Monday Night Football battle, and it will be interesting to see how many carries he gets this week against a Jaguars team that is just 26th in rushing attempts faced this season.

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One reason why the Jaguars have faced so few rushing attempts? Well, they are really good at stuffing the run. Since their Week 8 bye, no team has had 100 rushing yards from their RBs against them, as the Tennessee Titans two 100-yard team performances on the ground came as a result of Marcus Mariota‘s brilliance; Drew Brees won’t pose that threat, particularly since he’s suffering from a torn plantar fascia.

Teams average just 3.6 yards per carry against the Jaguars, and that’s the third-lowest clip in the NFL right now. Jared Odrick, Sen’Derrick Marks, Telvin Smith, and the rest of the front seven have looked stout against opposing rushing attacks, but there’s an important weakness in the Jaguars defense that has helped the running game out a bit.

The Jaguars have a 25:8 TD:INT ratio allowed as a pass defense, and, outside of offseason addition Davon House, it’s hard to find many nice things to say about their secondary. Teams understand just how burn-prone the Jags are back there, which is why they are 23rd in passing attempts faced, 25th in passing yards allowed, and 30th in points per game allowed.

These numbers all bode well for a Saints passing attack that should be strong this week in a shootout with Blake Bortles, Allen Robinson, and Allen Hurns, even with Brees at less than 100%. However, since Brees isn’t at full strength and since Marques Colston is expected to be on the wrong side of the game-time decision coin, as per the NFL Network’s Rand Getlin, that could make the Saints ability to gain yards on the ground all the more important.

At this point in the season, the Saints focus isn’t on winning, which means that players with potentially uncertain futures become the focus, and this can be said for backup running backs Hightower and C.J. Spiller, who has been a rather huge free agent bust thus far. These are two players who need to take advantage of every opportunity, and Hightower could make a big statement about his value in this league to both the Saints and teams around the league with a strong Week 16.

Dec 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Danny Lansanah (51) tackles New Orleans Saints running back Tim Hightower (34) during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. New Orleans Saints defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Not only could the Saints ask him to do more if Brees’s foot injury limits him enough, but it’s always nice to see what a running back can do against a run defense that hasn’t been giving up much ground lately.

Additionally, Colston accounted for three touchdowns in these past two weeks despite earning just 75 receiving yards in that same span, meaning that some scoring opportunities could come Hightower’s way.

We only have two games to look at, but, so far, Hightower’s body of work has been above the mid-line, which is all the Saints can ask for, especially since Spiller has offered them so little.

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There’s a chance that the Saints will need him to grind out some tough yards tomorrow against Jacksonville, and I think this qualifies as a big spot for a player on a one-year, minimum deal with just two games left to make an impression this season in a favorable situation.

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