METAIRIE ― For much of the week heading into New Orleans’ game against Kansas City, Sean Payton was focused on one thing – developing a run game to complement a strong passing attack.

At least, that’s how running back Pierre Thomas – thrust into the spotlight with Reggie Bush out and Aaron Stecker suffering a hamstring injury – recalls the week going.

Photo by Reed Hoffmann / The Associated Press

New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas (23) runs through Kansas City Chiefs' Turk McBride (90), Rocky Boiman (50) and Bernard Pollard (49) in the first half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008.

“All through the week of practice, we were determined to get our run game going,” Thomas said. “Coach was talking about how he really wanted to get the run game going and that we can run the ball.”

He added, “We did a great job of it in the game Sunday.”

In a way, they did do a great job. But that has more to do with hitting a threshold that has shown it to be a corollary for a Saints win.

Against Kansas City, New Orleans rushed for a net 103 yards on 28 carries. Runs accounted for 43.8 percent of the Saints’ play calls on Sunday.

That topped the needed threshold for a Saints win.

In their five wins this season, New Orleans averages running the ball 45.4 percent of the time. Each win came with New Orleans recording no fewer than 26 rushes.

Certainly part of this has to do with playing from ahead, as the Saints did against Kansas City, Oakland, San Francisco and San Diego. Only New Orleans’ win against Tampa Bay can in a way be classified as come-from-behind.

In New Orleans’ five losses, the Saints have run the ball at most 25 times. Run plays account for, on average, 31.8 percent of their plays.

Again, playing from behind factors into that.

And maybe that’s why New Orleans’ Payton has begun to focus a little bit more on the run.

“You got some of these teams and they look at us and say this team is more of a passing team,” said Thomas, who rushed for 88 yards against the Chiefs. “We want to change that. We want to show everybody that we can run the ball. A lot of people are getting tired of hearing people say we can’t run the ball.”

It hasn’t helped, either, that fullback Mike Karney or Stecker or Bush or center Jonathan Goodwin or any number of other players have missed time on offense.

That affects the running game.

But it appears Payton might have decided on a power running back. It’s not Deuce McAllister.

“He was one of the guys offensively, not only in the running game, but in the passing game, graded out well,” Payton said. “He gave us some good yards after contact. He has good balance.”

And with Courtney Roby taking off as a kick return specialist, Thomas has time to devote himself to the running game.

That’s a good thing.

“I’m more focused on the offensive side of the ball,” Thomas said. “That really helps me out where I can learn a little bit more about the defensive players and can get into the offense more. But I’m always into the offense because you never know who might go down and who might get hurt.”

With a choice made in the backfield, Payton just might be able to get to that elusive balance on offense.

It’s something the team craves.

“We want to get the defense out there guessing what we’re going to do and not just being a passing team so the defense doesn’t just play zone,” Thomas said. 

Bradley Handwerger can be reached at bhandwerger@wwltv.com or 504-529-6439.