What we learned about the Saints in dominant Week 8 win vs Raiders

Hey, would you look at that! The New Orleans Saints won a football game and they did so in absolute DOMINANT fashion, winning 24-0 over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Say what you will about the opposition -- The Raiders have played teams tough this year. They took the Chiefs down to the wire a few weeks ago and certainly didn't seem to be as bad as their 2-4 record would indicate entering this game.

The Saints managed to make Vegas look like a 2-4 (now 2-5) football team though. Not only did they shut out the black and silver, but it took until the third quarter for Davante Adams to record a catch. It was a strong performance by both the offense and defense.

Let's check out what we learned from the Saints now that they're 3-5.

Defense is back?

After getting torched by the Cardinals on Thursday Night Football last week, the defense sent a message against the Raiders -- "We're better than that unit". They showed as much too, as midway through the fourth quarter, the Raiders' offense had just 119 yards TOTAL. It also took until shortly before the two-minute warning for Las Vegas to get over midfield.

The pass rush looked good, notching four sacks on the Raiders' quarterbacks and it should have been five as one was wiped out due to a penalty. The secondary snagged an interception, which was only the second of the year for the team. Every facet of the defense was working despite no Marshon Lattimore. Even Payton Turner got in on the action!

With the Saints now at 3-5, the division is still very winnable so this defense has to continue to play like this to have any shot at winning the NFC South.

Kamara with the hat trick!

Rumors circulated before the game started that the Bills had reached out to New Orleans about Alvin Kamara's availability via trade. After this game, the price went up significantly, and with the Saints now in the running to win their division, they likely won't bite on that trade offer.

After being held out of the end zone in the team's seven other games, Kamara scored three touchdowns against the Raiders. He finished the game with 96 receiving yards and two touchdowns while tallying 62 rushing yards and a touchdown in that department as well.

When the Saints run the ball with Kamara and Taysom Hill, good things happen.

The NFC South title is still within reach

The NFC South is a train wreck and there's no further proof needed for that other than to say that the Saints are still in the running to win the division. The Falcons and Panthers were playing for first place in the division with the Falcons being 3-4 and the Panthers sitting at 2-5 before the game started. The Saints, as we know, are 3-5 while the Buccaneers are 3-5 as well.

With the Saints somehow in the running to win the NFC South despite all of their issues through the first two months of the season, they can't be sellers this week. They need to stick with the players they have and see if they can win the division.

A 3-5 record is good enough to keep the Saints afloat in the division. Can they keep this momentum going from here?