Welcome everyone to the latest edition of #4Downs breaking down the New Orleans Saints shootout in the Superdome against the Detroit Lions.
1st Down: Best Defensive Effort Ever?
What we saw on Sunday afternoon was a Saints defense that many fans haven’t seen in a long time. They were able to get after Matthew Stafford, get four touchdowns defensively for the first time in franchise history, and tip about 12 passes in a victory.
If not for the Saints offense’s performance in the second half, this could have gone down as one of the best games in NFL history just because of what one side of the ball did. There were some issues though, with the worst being several missed tackles, including on the big TD by Golden Tate in the first quarter.
There needs to be some focus on wrapping up tackles during practice this week if they want to keep the amount of points being scored down.
2nd Down: Offense Unable to Deliver Knockout Punch
Just as it seemed like the Saints were in a great position to close out the ballgame after going up 45-10 with 8:54 left in the third quarter. However, the Lions were able to fight back thanks to a stagnant offense and a big pick six from A’Shawn Robinson to make it a one-score game.
While the defense was able to put the game on ice late after an endzone interception from Cam Jordan, the offense lacked that ability to land a final blow to truly put the game out of reach against an offense like Detroit’s.
3rd Down: Run Game Without Peterson Looked Good
One of the big topics heading into Sunday’s matchup was how the Saints run game would look like without Adrian Peterson. After one week, it looks like both parties wound up for the better on the trade. Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara got quite a bit done on the field with a total of 189 yards off 35 carries. Meanwhile, Adrian Peterson looked like his old self in Arizona, getting over 100 yards
What’s even more telling about what the Saints did was that there were more run plays than pass plays. If it happened in the Brees-Payton era before, I honestly don’t remember it. That being said, it shows that the Saints are trying to make the run game something that defenses have to prepare for and respect.
4th Down: Saints Offensive Line Continues to Excel
Speaking of the Saints run game, a lot of that has to be credited to an offensive line that has one of their best back in the lineup in Terron Armstead. That return to the line can be noticed with Drew Brees staying vertical. Sure, the pass rush lost a key player like Haloti Ngata, but there’s no way that losing one player led to a lack of pressure on Brees.
If Armstead, along with the rest of this offensive line can stay healthy, a lot of things are still possible for a team that is now half a game out of first place in the NFC South.
-Clint Domingue