Saints reach high against Lions to soar above .500

Who Dats have much to be excited for as the New Orleans Saints are now the hottest team in the ever so competitive NFC South.

On Sunday, the Saints got a huge win over the Detroit Lions. The final was 52-38 making it their third consecutive win of the season.

The Saints displayed disheartening performances by losing to the Vikings and Patriots to begin the 2017 NFL season. But Sean Peyton rallied his coaching staff in an effort to avoid a repeat of three straight loses for the third consecutive year.  One of the major changes that impacted the Saints dismal performances to begin the season was the decision to make a personnel change on the defense.

The defense

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Undrafted rookie cornerback De’Vante Harris has been replaced with second year cornerback Ken Crawley. Who Dats witnessed Harris become exposed on numerous plays that benefitted both the Vikings and Patriots. The decision to make the personnel change was a major key to positively jumpstart the performance of the Saints defense.

Since Crawley was handed the keys claiming a starting role in week 3 versus the Carolina Panthers, he hasn’t disappointed. He began by leading the Saints in tackles (8) against the Panthers. He then prevented a Miami Dolphins touchdown in Week 4 by intercepting a potential Jay Cutler touchdown pass. And he notched 5 tackles and 1 pass defended in coverage against the Detroit Lions.

It’s important to know that Sean Payton established trust in his defensive backfield on Sunday against the Lions. He game them the opportunity to shine in man to man coverage. Not only was Crawley a factor on Sunday, but Who Dats must give credit to newly inserted starting linebacker, Craig Robertson. Robertson led the team in tackles with 11. 

Cam Jordan tipped a Matthew Stafford pass in the end zone and intercepted it resulting in a touchdown late in the 4th quarter. Stafford also threw a pass intended for Lions receiver Marvin Jones which was tipped by Saints defensive end, Trey Hendrickson. That resulted in a pick six for rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

Although the Saints had some defensive miscues on Sunday. But that will not be hard to repair once  defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and his unit reviews film.

The offense

On the offensive side of the ball, Drew Brees did not have a typical Drew Brees type performance. Instead, the ball was well-distributed in the run game between Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. It was the most balanced offensive attack we’ve seen in a while.

Ingram and Kamara both catch and run well so Who Dats can look forward to ground breaking performances in the coming weeks.

Getting a win against the Lions was much-needed to begin to climb atop the NFC South.

Who Dats should keep in mind that growing pains are what any young players endure. The shift in culture in the Saints locker room is making its fans believers that they can kick start the engine to once again become a force in their division.