I don’t know if this past weekend could have been much better.
Between the awesomeness that was the Voodoo Experience and the Saints beating the supposed best team in the NFL, it was an all-around great weekend to be from New Orleans.
Oh, and the Hornets beat the Nuggets and the Spurs to start off the season 3-0. That’s music to my ears.
To top it off, it was Halloween.
Trick or treat, Steelers?
In front of 17,777 costumed Saints fans and more than 50,000 other screaming fans, the Saints were the ones to call “checkmate” in a well-coached chess match, a treat for Saints fans.
The Saints’ offense had a solid, 14-point quarter to help seal the 20-10 victory.
Drew Brees looked more like the Brees of old, throwing for more than 300 yards, two touchdowns and only one interception (a vast improvement from the four he threw last week).
The offense looked much better than it did last week, and that’s good news. That is, as long as it can keep it going next week against the Panthers.
But what’s been lost in all the commotion is that for five straight games the Saints’ defense has held its opponents to fewer than 300 total yards of offense. That’s an outstanding stat for any NFL team.
Now, those opponents (Carolina, Arizona, Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Pittsburgh) all rank in the lower half of the league in total offense, but that’s not important here.
The Saints defense now ranks third in the league in total defense, giving up a mere 287.2 yards per contest. Here’s what makes that stat impressive — the Saints rank No. 16 (of 32) in the league in rush defense (108.6 yards per game allowed).
So how could they rank third? Easy.
Their pass defense is third in the NFL (178.6 yards per game). Now that’s impressive, considering the plethora of injuries in the Saints secondary. That includes both of the
Saints’ starting cornerbacks (Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer).
But the second-string secondary has been stepping up.
That’s a sign of great depth, which can be vital down the stretch.
The Saints will now have extra players to sub on defense, taking out any fatigue factor down the home stretch of the regular season and (fingers crossed) into the playoffs.
In addition, the Saints finally have safety Darren Sharper back, the Saints’ turnover creator.
Sunday night against the Steelers, Sharper didn’t create a turnover. But he was in the right spot at the right time to catch Heath Miller’s late fumble that helped seal the deal for the Saints.
With a healthy Sharper back on the field and some of the cornerbacks and other safeties getting back to health, this is a Saints team that can make some moves late in the season to win the division.
Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas are also slated to rejoin the offense in the upcoming weeks, and their additions, along with a week 10 bye, should get the Saints back to full strength.
The Saints are 5-3. They are right in the thick of things. When the talking heads on ESPN and other networks start to discount them, the Saints are right where they want to be — underdogs and under the radar in the much-disrespected NFC.
 
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Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected]