Saints overcome adversity to maintain first place in NFC South

The New Orleans Saints overcame adversity as they held on to defeat the Chicago Bears 20-12 at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in Week 8.

Two 4th quarter fumbles committed by Mark Ingram kept the game within reach for the Bears to make a comeback. But the emerging Saints defense was able to save face by preventing the Bears from scoring either time.

And Marshon Lattimore sealed the deal on a late Mitchell Trubisky interception to keep the Saints winning streak alive. This win brings the Saints to 5-2 and keeps them in first place in the NFC South.

In spite of Ingram’s miscues, he still managed to rush for 75 yards and 1 touchdown on 18 carriers. His counterpart, Alvin Kamara took care of business on the ground and in the air. Kamara totaled 76 yards from scrimmage on 11 touches and also scored a touchdown, all while holding on to the ball.

Mark Ingram tweeted this after the game:

Overcoming mistakes

Making mistakes on key drives and having a defense to keep you alive when momentum can shift says a lot about this year’s Saints team. The Saints’ ability to maintain control of the game despite key mistakes was displayed for two consecutive weeks. It’s not common for the losing team to win the turnover battle and come out with a loss.

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Who Dats will wait patiently to find out  if Sean Payton will start Kamara or boost his carries in next week’s game against the Tampa Bay Bucaneers. Even is he sticks with running Ingram more,  Kamara recognizes the negative effect of turnovers. And Ingram is focused on bouncing back to rebuild the confidence his teammates have in him.

In order to maintain first place in the NFC South as they embark on the second half of the NFL Season, the Saints must find a way to prevent turnovers. Accomplishing this feat is a major key in giving their fans a reason to stay optimistic.