This is the silver lining to the Saints three-point loss against the Chiefs
By Tony Twillie
The Good That Came From Week 15
The Saints only lost this game by a field goal. Maybe if we come up with that fumble in the end zone, the game is different.
Offensively, we were definitely not up to snuff. Brees had one of the worst games of his career. And yet he threw for three touchdowns.
The offensive line did a good job keeping him upright and protected. Brees was rusty – his timing was off and he was throwing to guys he rarely throws to in practice. We dropped some passes we should have caught.
Defensively, we were not tight on first downs. But when you understand the offense you were playing and how explosive they can be, you see the Saints defense made them earn their yards. Their longest play was a 24-yard Mahomes scramble.
Only two of their players made receptions for over 20 yards. The Saints did a decent job of keeping the plays in front of them.
Special teams really have been very good for the Saints over the last several seasons and they continued to be very good yesterday. We punted eight times, and KC had five returns for -15 yards. KC didn’t return a single kickoff.
Meanwhile, Tommylee Lewis was very efficient. He returned a kickoff for 34 yards and two punts for 26 yards. Thomas Morstead showed his value again, averaging 47 yards a punt, including a long of 51.
So let’s put this all together. The Saints were missing their number one receiver. We had multiple players hurt during the game. We didn’t get to see as much Taysom Hill as we might have liked. We were outplayed and out-possessed.
Our star defensive end was ejected from the game for a play that typically only warrants a penalty. We had 10 penalties for 93 yards. Drew Brees had a miserable game. We only rushed for 60 yards.
And we still only lost by a field goal to the team most consider the best in the NFL. That’s a strong statement of how good this Saints team is.
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The outcome isn’t what Who Dats would have liked and the play wasn’t up to Saints standards. There’s a lot to do. But to play from so far behind and still only have lost by three is something positive to hang our hats on. Particularly, if we were to maybe meet up again.