Saints proving their mettle in win over Lions

For the longest time, the New Orleans Saints have been a one-dimensional team. If the offense couldn’t carry the mail on the Sunday, it would result in a frustrating loss as the defense gave up 400 yards and 30 points… on a good day.

Over the last three games, the Saints have shown they can win in a bevy of ways. In Week 3, the Saints were Abel to throttle the Carolina Panthers on the road by intercepting Cam Newton on three occasions. The next game was against the Miami Dolphins in London, and shockingly enough, New Orleans recorded its first shutout in years, taking down the Dolphins, 20-0.

Then after a bye, this Sunday, the Saints rolled back to the Superdome and took care of business in terrific fashion with a 52-38 beating of the Detroit Lions. On the surface, the score would suggest that the defense was rancid while Drew Brees bailed it out with another 400-yard game. Instead, it was a team effort that resulted in a 3-2 record, leaving the Saints tied in second place with the Atlanta Falcons, sitting a half-game behind the Panthers.

Brees was held in check throughout the game, only throwing two touchdown along with 186 yards and two interceptions. It was anything but a typical afternoon for the future Hall of Famer, forcing the rest of the team to show up. That’s exactly what happened, with the defense scoring on a pair of pick-sixes. The Lions were able to rack up some throwing yardage with Matthew Stafford going for 312 yards. However, Stafford threw a trio of picks and went 25-of-52, showing that a young New Orleans secondary is starting to gel behind a quality defensive line anchored by Sheldon Rankins and Cameron Jordan.

New Orleans doesn’t have the look of a Super Bowl contender, mostly because there are still some holes. The offense is hit and miss running the ball, though the jettisoning of Adrian Peterson and increased attempts for rookie Alvin Kamara. The defense still has to prove it going forward, maintaining a stinginess. Still, the Saints look like a real challenger in the NFC South and certainly a team that needs to be counted among the wild card contenders.

Moving forward, the Saints have a trip to Green Bay against the Packers, who are without Aaron Rodgers after the All-Pro broke his collarbone against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. After that, New Orleans hosts the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before traveling to take on the Buffalo Bills. In other words, the Saints can make some proverbial hay over the next month.