New Orleans Saints: Alvin Kamara, standouts from Week 8 vs. Vikings

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 28: Marshon Lattimore #23 of the New Orleans Saints breaks up a pass to Laquon Treadwell #11 of the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 28: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings passes the ball in the first quarter of the game against the New Orleans Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /

2. DT Sheldon Rankins

The New Orleans Saints’ top defensive lineman is end Cameron Jordan, who is also one of the premier players at his position in the NFL. He entered Sunday’s game at Minnesota with a team-best five sacks. A season ago, the three-time Pro Bowler notched a career-best 13.5 sacks and 11 passes defensed.

On Sunday against the Vikings, the seven-year standout totaled three tackles, a pair of quarterback hits and knocked down one pass. But it was two of his cohorts who got to quarterback Kirk Cousins a combined four times in the team’s 30-20 win.

Rookie defensive end Marcus Davenport notched two sacks in the victory. And defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins added two more quarterback traps in the game. Both entered Week 8 with two sacks apiece and now rank second behind Jordan with four quarterback traps apiece.

Rankins was also a big reason the Saints were able to keep Minnesota’s running game in check. The Vikings finished the evening with 85 yards on the ground on 22 attempts. The former standout for the Louisville Cardinals has been solid in his third NFL season. His four sacks are two short of his total from his first two NFL campaigns (6) in which he played a total of 25 contests.

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