NEW ORLEANS — Sunday was the perfect, most enjoyable New Orleans Saints Sunday of 2023. The Saints had a lovely 24-6 win over the New York Giants involving Dennis Allen taking Giants sensation Tommy Devito to the garage to get made like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas. AND THE ATLANTA FALCONS LOST 9-7 TO THE CAROLINA PANTHERS IN THE RAIN!
No notes Dennis Allen. Just delightful from start to finish.
The Saints have outscored two very bad football teams 52-12 the last two weeks. It was necessary to save the season but not sufficient. The Saints have made December interesting. Nothing more, nothing less.
The fact it’s taken the Saints until December to realize Jimmy Graham can still catch touchdowns and running play-action helps Derek Carr is definitely something. Let’s just move on, I don’t want to ruin my joy.
The Saints saw the national media talking about Giants quarterback Tommy Devito all week after he showed competence Monday night and to quote Michael Jordan, “Took that personally.”
Demario Davis’ first quarter might be the best he’s ever looked as a Saint, and Davis has been special since the day he joined the Saints in 2018. Ten tackles, 1 sack, and 2 tackles for lose is a heck of a Sunday. Davis is getting better with age it seems.
The Saints defense sacked Devito seven times, limited New York to 193 total yards, and didn’t allow the Giants to run a play inside the Saints 20-yard line. If not for a circus catch by Saquon Barkley and a horrific penalty on Alontae Taylor the Giants wouldn’t have scored a single point.
The Giants offensive line is a five-man turnstile and guided tour to the quarterback. The Saints Tanoh Kpassagnon looked like Saints legend and Ring of Honor inductee Will Smith, and, be honest, you pretty much forgot Tanoh was still on the team. Remember kids, other teams problems are not our problems.
The incredible pass rush was probably a one-week-early Christmas gift from the Giants, but something else we saw Sunday might be more sustainable.
The Saints, for the first time in over a month, played actual good run defense. The Giants had just 60 yards on 16 carries. Non-QB runs went for 24 yards on 12 carries. That’s what a Dennis Allen defense is supposed to look like. If the Saints can be not terrible against the run, the Saints have a real shot to make the playoffs.
On offense, Derek Carr went from an awful week to his best day as a Saint. Carr was 23-28 for 218 yards, and 3 touchdowns. He looked exactly like what the Saints hoped for when he signed in March. Carr rolling out just looks more confident to me. More of it, please.
A few weeks ago Kat Terrell of ESPN asked Dennis Allen what’s his team’s identity and he struggled to have a great answer.
The answer is the Saints play incredibly hard. That’s their identity. They aren’t consistent at doing anything well, they step on rakes, and they do dumb things regularly, but they just refuse to let go of the rope.
You’d like a better identity for the stretch run, but you don’t get to go to battle with the team you want, you go to battle with the team you have.
Dennis Allen for all his faults and whatever we think of him, he knows what time it is. He’s fighting for his coaching life and challenging his vets. He put gas tanks in the veterans' locker this week.
“It matters about this group right here. And you guys believing in yourselves cause your coaches freaking believe in you.”
Dennis Allen's post-game speeches will never make NFL Films. His speeches always remind me of that boss we all had who no one’s ever sure if people like him, hate him, or don’t really care. I’m rooting for DA. This is going to be his last shot at being a head coach somewhere, and he’s battling. Against injuries, maybe his own shortcomings, and more. But he’s fighting.
This Saints team which is old and has been through so much heartache and disappointment since 2017 just won’t quit. I see all these teams like the Chargers fold up and get embarrassed, Washington sleepwalking against the Rams, and the Jets being the Jets. All have packed it up for 2023.
The Saints could’ve done the same. Hell, I see quite a few Saints fans wishing they would. Instead, there’s three weeks left and everything still to play for. The fun continues Thursday against the Rams in a massive game. I hate the Rams almost as much as I hate the Falcons. It’s time to deliver some heartache to the 9 fans they have in Los Angeles.
New Orleans (+4.5) at Los Angeles: The Thursday night road game is always nasty work. Throw in a cross-country flight to the West Coast and it feels daunting for this Saints team. The Rams are an entirely different class from the Panthers and Giants, but let’s not make a 7-7 team some unbeatable force.
I could give you some stats about how Matthew Stafford is still good and the Rams have some nice receivers but their defense is shaky and if Saints can protect Derrek Carr Thursday will be very interesting. No, I’m here to remind you, it is your duty as a Saints fan to hate the Rams. The Rams of the No Call, Flipper Anderson, and Mike Lansford. The Rams have delivered as much torment to Saints fans as any team ever has. I hate them. It’s time to deliver some big game pain back to them when they least expect it. Go ruin Los Angeles’ Christmas Dennis Allen. Saints’ fans might not believe in you, I might not believe in you. But you can believe in yourselves.
Saints 23-17
Ralph Malbrough is a contributing writer and Saints fan living in Houston. Email him at saintshappyhour@gmail.com, find him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter at @SaintsForecast or download the Saints Happy Hour Podcast.