Saints 38, Raiders 17
Saints Validate Atlanta Win, Roll Over Raiders, Now Back to .500!
Going into this one, the game screamed of 'trap'. We were coming off such a high after the impressive victory against Atlanta. You just got the feeling that we may have our hands full, and possibly struggle. However, the Saints clicked on all cylinders, as they beat up on the Raiders Sunday.
Malcolm Jenkins - Pick Six
Arguably, Jenkins is becoming one of our biggest assets. He keeps improving, which is scary. It wasn't enough that he jumped the route & picked off Carson Palmer, but Jenkins had a beautiful 55 yard return, where he kept the play alive to get into the end zone. If you missed it somehow, Re-live the Pick Six Here. The Saints had already got 7 up on the board from a wide open Jimmy Graham 1 Yarder, but this helped build the momentum even more.
Defense Keeps Getting BetterSo I get it, some of you are still saying, 'Well it was the Raiders'. The final score doesn't always tell all, because the Raiders got a very late 'garbage' touchdown. Remember all of you wanting to fire Spagnoulo & not giving the man a chance? Who's laughin' now? The Saints were again out gained in yardage 404-382, but let's look at the 3 Sacks & 2 Picks. Our Safeties were our best players on Sunday (Jenkins-Harper). They combined for 14 Tackles, 3 Assists, and the 2 Interceptions. There's no denying that the defense is getting better each week, as Spagnoulo clearly puts the players where they excel most.
These two are heating up at the perfect time.
Mark Ingram Gets It Going
Lots of fans have been calling our trade up for Ingram 'wasted', but this game was his, as he finished 12-67 & a TD. He had a 27 yard TD run just 17 ticks into the 3rd Quarter to put the Saints ahead 28-7. This was set up by a beautiful 75 yard Kickoff Return by Cadet. Now more to the Ingram talk, he has become the featured back in terms of rushes for the Saints, as he passed up Pierre Thomas with his 82 attempts (PT has 74). He is nearly up to 4 yards/carry (3.8 actual). Arguably, he is on pace to beat out last year, and the main thing is he is healthy right now. If he keeps this pace, I believe it will only help his case. Just remember that the Saints have a 5 headed monster (what would that even be called?), and while we should see Sproles back next week, this is a promising thing for Mr. Ingram.
You know you savored this moment too.
Been that kind of season in Oakland
Malcolm Jenkins - Pick Six
Arguably, Jenkins is becoming one of our biggest assets. He keeps improving, which is scary. It wasn't enough that he jumped the route & picked off Carson Palmer, but Jenkins had a beautiful 55 yard return, where he kept the play alive to get into the end zone. If you missed it somehow, Re-live the Pick Six Here. The Saints had already got 7 up on the board from a wide open Jimmy Graham 1 Yarder, but this helped build the momentum even more.
Defense Keeps Getting BetterSo I get it, some of you are still saying, 'Well it was the Raiders'. The final score doesn't always tell all, because the Raiders got a very late 'garbage' touchdown. Remember all of you wanting to fire Spagnoulo & not giving the man a chance? Who's laughin' now? The Saints were again out gained in yardage 404-382, but let's look at the 3 Sacks & 2 Picks. Our Safeties were our best players on Sunday (Jenkins-Harper). They combined for 14 Tackles, 3 Assists, and the 2 Interceptions. There's no denying that the defense is getting better each week, as Spagnoulo clearly puts the players where they excel most.
These two are heating up at the perfect time.
Mark Ingram Gets It Going
Lots of fans have been calling our trade up for Ingram 'wasted', but this game was his, as he finished 12-67 & a TD. He had a 27 yard TD run just 17 ticks into the 3rd Quarter to put the Saints ahead 28-7. This was set up by a beautiful 75 yard Kickoff Return by Cadet. Now more to the Ingram talk, he has become the featured back in terms of rushes for the Saints, as he passed up Pierre Thomas with his 82 attempts (PT has 74). He is nearly up to 4 yards/carry (3.8 actual). Arguably, he is on pace to beat out last year, and the main thing is he is healthy right now. If he keeps this pace, I believe it will only help his case. Just remember that the Saints have a 5 headed monster (what would that even be called?), and while we should see Sproles back next week, this is a promising thing for Mr. Ingram.
You know you savored this moment too.
Scores for Moore
Lance Moore had a true turning point in the game. Less than a minute left in the half, Drew Brees found Lance Moore in the back of the end zone behind 2 Raider defenders for a 38 Yard Score. It was big because the Raiders answered the Jenkins pick six with a TD drive to put it 14-7, but the Saints marched down the field starting at their own 10 yard line with 4:10 left in the Half. A 3 & Out would have put the ball back into the Raiders hands with good field position, but any points would have helped us out, as we got the ball in the second half.
In typical Lance Moore fashion, this score put the game at 20-7.
Lance Moore had a true turning point in the game. Less than a minute left in the half, Drew Brees found Lance Moore in the back of the end zone behind 2 Raider defenders for a 38 Yard Score. It was big because the Raiders answered the Jenkins pick six with a TD drive to put it 14-7, but the Saints marched down the field starting at their own 10 yard line with 4:10 left in the Half. A 3 & Out would have put the ball back into the Raiders hands with good field position, but any points would have helped us out, as we got the ball in the second half.
In typical Lance Moore fashion, this score put the game at 20-7.
Speaking of Brees, again he quietly had another solid game, despite not having flashy stats. He went 20/27, 219 Yards, and 3TD. He spread it to 8 difference receivers on the day, and while Jimmy Graham (6-29-TD), Marques Colston (4-69), & Lance Moore (2-53-2TD) didn't have the flashiest of days on the stat sheet, they came up with the tough catches to extend the drives when they were needed most. The Saints rushing attack gained 153 yards on the day, as we saw contributions from Ivory (8-37), PT (5-30), and even Chase Daniel (3-19) on the day.
Been that kind of season in Oakland
The Saints now sit in 9th in the NFC, and for a refresher, the Top 6 teams get in. Seattle & Minnesota were idle, and Tampa was able to pull off a victory against the Panthers by the skin of their teeth. All of those teams are 6-4, and the Saints are right behind. The Bucs host the Falcons, Vikings at the Bears, and Seahawks at the Dolphins. Now, here comes the 49ers, the team who broke our hearts last year with their last second Smith to Davis score. There's no doubt after last night's game that we will have our hands full. Without saying too much about this matchup, which is best reserved for the Keys to the Game, it will likely be heralded, the Game of the Week. Hope you're ready for Joe Buck.
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