The New Orleans Saints lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, only scoring three points to the Bucs’ 23. Defensive end Chase Young managed to stand out despite the loss.
On the afternoon, Young gathered four tackles, one and a half sacks, and one forced fumble. He also had three quarterback pressures. Following the loss, he was asked if he stepped into what was needed for the defense. “Honestly I’m just going out there and playing my game,” Young
would respond. “I ain’t trying to step in, fit in, or nothing. I’m just playing.”
His season debut was just a few weeks ago, and he’s already managed to become one of the top guys at his position. When ignoring the minimum snap count, Young is having one of the highest-graded seasons out of any defensive end, per Pro Football Focus.
Saints DE Chase Young has been shining to start his 2025 season
Young would make his 2025 debut at home against the New England Patriots and has been playing exceptionally well since, averaging 3.6 pressures, one sack, and one tackle per game. One game after the other has been better, each week earning a higher grade of pro football focus than the last. This week, he earned a grade of 88.7, 2.6 points higher than the previous week’s grade of 86.1, which was higher than his grade in his season debut, an 85.1.
The start to Chase Young’s fifth year in the National Football League definitely started later than the defensive end would’ve liked. During the week leading up to the first game of the season Young would suffer a calf injury. Initially called “nothing major” by head coach Kellen Moore, the defensive end would end up missing the first five games of the season.
Heading into week nine, Young now has a chance to improve even further, this time on the road against the Los Angeles Rams. Kickoff is set for 3:05 p.m. on Sunday.
