Saints 34, Cowboys 31 (F-OT)
Saints Hold On to Beat Cowboys In OT, But Vikings Do Them In
Yesterday went about as expected. Being up 31-17, it was looking like we could potentially blow them out, but based on the play of the team lately, it wasn’t a real shocker that they rallied. I didn’t think they’d tie the game and force OT, and even after the coin flip, I felt good about the defense showing up to stop the Cowboys (clutch it out again). There were numerous good performances that came from yesterday, but let’s look at a few of them.
Drew Brees Was Mistake Free
I pointed to this in my Keys to the Game that Brees was the X-Factor for the game. His mistake free play in the past two games have been very encouraging. Brees did not even take a sack on the day, and finished out 37/53 for 446 Yards, and 3TD (D. Thomas – Moore – PT). He was under a lot of heavy pressure, but give the O-Line credit for picking up the blitzes sent by Rob Ryan, and even more credit to Breesfor smartly throwing the ball away in those situations, instead of throwing it away.
I pointed to this in my Keys to the Game that Brees was the X-Factor for the game. His mistake free play in the past two games have been very encouraging. Brees did not even take a sack on the day, and finished out 37/53 for 446 Yards, and 3TD (D. Thomas – Moore – PT). He was under a lot of heavy pressure, but give the O-Line credit for picking up the blitzes sent by Rob Ryan, and even more credit to Breesfor smartly throwing the ball away in those situations, instead of throwing it away.
Purdue On Purdue Hate Crimes
Dallas D Inability to Cover the Running Backs
It didn’t matter who caught the ball out of the backfield yesterday. Whether it was Sproles (7-104), PT (7-61), or Ingram (1-7)….the Saints were able to move the ball down the field with ease. Sproles had the one huge 44 yard gain that eventually set up points before the half ended, in which he caught over the middle, and was able to run out in space (hard to catch Mighty Mouse). Daryl Johnston alluded to something yesterday, and while everyone might not think a PT screen of 7 yards is that impressive, it’s a play that the Saints execute extremely well, and have not seen it a ton this season (Sean Payton maybe?). I would love to see more of these.
It didn’t matter who caught the ball out of the backfield yesterday. Whether it was Sproles (7-104), PT (7-61), or Ingram (1-7)….the Saints were able to move the ball down the field with ease. Sproles had the one huge 44 yard gain that eventually set up points before the half ended, in which he caught over the middle, and was able to run out in space (hard to catch Mighty Mouse). Daryl Johnston alluded to something yesterday, and while everyone might not think a PT screen of 7 yards is that impressive, it’s a play that the Saints execute extremely well, and have not seen it a ton this season (Sean Payton maybe?). I would love to see more of these.
Sproles Arguably Had His Best Game As a Saint
Defense Creates Huge Turnover
Rewind to the 3rd Quarter. Dallas is pinned inside their own 10, at the 3 yard line, thanks to a Thomas Morstead 54 yard punt. DemarcoMurray is stuffed up on the very next play, Curtis Lofton strips the ball, and New Orleans recovers. This allowed Brees & company to take advantage of the short field, and break the tie, going up 24-17 on a PT 5 yard catch.
Rewind to the 3rd Quarter. Dallas is pinned inside their own 10, at the 3 yard line, thanks to a Thomas Morstead 54 yard punt. DemarcoMurray is stuffed up on the very next play, Curtis Lofton strips the ball, and New Orleans recovers. This allowed Brees & company to take advantage of the short field, and break the tie, going up 24-17 on a PT 5 yard catch.
Lofton Sure Didn't Prove To Be An Everydown Back (Fail Falcons)
Drives & Time Of Possession
Shortly after the Saints went up 24-17, they stopped Dallas, and got the ball back at their own 2 yard line. They went on to produce a 10 play, 98 yard drive that resulted in a David Thomas score, that took 4:53, and put the Saints up by 14. This wasn’t the only long drive of the game, as they had a similar drive that tied the game at 14, which consisted of 12 plays, 90 yards, and a Lance Moore score. The Saints dominated Time of Possesion 41:59 to 22:28.
Shortly after the Saints went up 24-17, they stopped Dallas, and got the ball back at their own 2 yard line. They went on to produce a 10 play, 98 yard drive that resulted in a David Thomas score, that took 4:53, and put the Saints up by 14. This wasn’t the only long drive of the game, as they had a similar drive that tied the game at 14, which consisted of 12 plays, 90 yards, and a Lance Moore score. The Saints dominated Time of Possesion 41:59 to 22:28.
Graham recovered a Colston fumble, one of the plays of the game.
So yesterday can’t all be roses & daisies, as I have my goats from the game. Garrett Hartley & Patrick Robinson. Hartley missed a very makeable Field Goal, which would have put the Saints up 10-0 (though they should have got a TD on the drive), and allowed the Cowboys to get right back in the game, and eventually take the lead 14-7. Patrick Robinson was victimized by Dez Bryant on the day, who set career highs in terms of yardage with 224 yards. Robinson looked pretty bad on his one on one coverage. The Saints did march right back, and then were able to ‘run away’ going up 31-17. However, they yielded 14 in the last few minutes, and allowed the Cowboys to tie the game back up, due to more secondary breakdowns to force the game into overtime.
Eh....That Was Bad
The bad news from everything is that the Vikings won, which means that the Saints are officially eliminated from the playoffs at 7-8. The good news is that the Saints extended their successes over the Cowboys, which have won 5 out of their last 6 now. Next week’s matchup against the Panthers isn’t completely meaningless, but we won’t be playing for anything particular.
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