Well Atlanta destroyed Carolina 31-10, which was totally expected, so that result rendered the Saints game completely meaningless. Sean Payton clearly picked up on that, so he pulled his starters on both sides of the ball and coasted to a 13-23 loss in an attempt to avoid anymore injuries. During the course of the game, the Saints sent Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Ivory, and Jimmy Graham to the locker room with various injuries, so the Saints weren’t going to take any more risks. The Saints essentially quit about half way in the fourth quarter, and they even decided to punt from midfield on a 4th and 1 with about 2 minutes left. Since they clearly had no interest in playing once it was clear Atlanta would win, I don’t really care to blog much either. Here’s a few thoughts on the game:
— Adrian Arrington and Reggie Bush contributed most to the offense, and they both played pretty well. They look like promising players.
— No word on the injuries. In postgame, Sean Payton had zero interest in entertaining any discussion of any wounded player. Knowing the extent of the key player’s injuries will be a guessing game right up until kickoff of the playoff game. The players who at this point we’re unsure if they can go next week are Pierre Thomas, Colston, Hargrove, Shockey, David Thomas, Ivory, Jenkins, and Jimmy Graham.
— Chase Daniel got a little time at quarterback but didn’t really have time to show much.
— Tracy Porter is a great athlete and solid corner, but he really makes some stupid mistakes sometimes. That offsides on a 4th and 2 field goal attempt gave away a touchdown. He also blew coverage late.
— That fumble by Julius Jones at the Tampa 1 was inexcusable. I hope he doesn’t see a snap in the playoffs.
— Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem both had horrible games. Just horrible.
— Will Smith got tremendous pressure all game long, and got a sack, but whiffed tackling Josh Freeman at least 3 times. Freeman is a load to bring down and Smith just couldn’t do it.
— The Saints finish the year 11-5 and will make the playoffs as the 5th seed and best wild card in the NFC. They’ll travel to the winner of the NFC West next weekend.
— Watch the St. Louis Rams @ Seattle Seahawks tonight if you want to find out where the Saints play. The winner of that game will host them next weekend in the wild card playoffs.
— Garrett Hartley is locked in right now.
That’s all I got. Check back for the player grades and we’ll see our boys next in the PLAYOFFS!
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