NFC South: Saints prove they're the kings of the NFC

Sports Network | October 20, 2009

(Sports Network) - It's official. The New Orleans Saints are the team to beat in the NFC, even if they won't admit it themselves.

"I don't think you can talk big picture yet," said head coach Sean Payton after Sunday's 48-27 victory over the previously undefeated New York Giants, leaving New Orleans and Minnesota as the only teams left in the conference without a loss.

What haven't the Saints done this year? Their offense can operate through the air, we all know that, but the club excels at running the ball too. While Drew Brees grabbed the spotlight with four touchdown passes and 369 yards against the Giants, New Orleans' ground game added 133 yards and three touchdown runs on the day.

All of this, by the way, came versus a New York defense that was allowing an NFL-low 210.6 yards per game on the season.

New Orleans totaled 315 yards in the first half, and seven different players scored touchdowns when all was said and done.

Speaking of defense, the Saints have a pretty good one themselves. New York managed just 84 rushing yards in the game, Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw for only 178 yards and New Orleans forced a pair of turnovers.

So what don't the Saints do well?

"We have to improve in the kicking game," offered Payton. "We gave up some yards in the return game and had a PAT blocked. It was a good win and I'm happy with that, but there's a lot of things I think we can do better."

In routing the Giants, the Saints were able to shed a few labels. Often regarded as a finesse team, New Orleans is showing it can be tough on both sides of the ball.

"I think we have had that reputation for the last few years, but now you look at us and we're in the top three in rushing, top three in total offense, top five in total defense, and outrushed one of the best rushing teams in football [Sunday]," said Brees.

"That says a lot about the guys that we have up front blocking and the guys that we have running the football. It says a lot about our defense and their ability to rise to the occasion and defend against a very good rushing offense, a really good offense in general. We're trying to get rid of that label, because I don't think it applies."

The Saints also shook the stigma that perhaps they relax a little too much in The Big Easy during the bye. New Orleans lost a 14-point game to Atlanta last year after a week off, which was its fifth straight setback following a bye.

Brees, meanwhile, continues to crack the record books. In helping lead New Orleans to its best start since 1993 (5-0), he became the third player in Saints history to throw 100 touchdown passes, joining Aaron Brooks and Eli's father Archie.

He also completed 15 straight passes in the first half, a club single-game record. Brees owns the franchise record of 17 completed passes in a row, done over two games in 2007.

New Orleans takes its show on the road this weekend, as they visit 2-3 Miami on Sunday.

PANTHERS: It took five games, but the Carolina Panthers found their strength. It didn't hurt that they were playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For the second straight season, the Panthers torched the Bucs on the ground. Backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart combined to run for 262 yards and three touchdowns, with Williams' one-yard scoring run with 29 seconds left securing a 28-21 victory, Carolina's second in a row.

With quarterback Jake Delhomme turning in another disappointing outing -- 65 yards passing and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown -- the Panthers went run heavy in their final drive.

Fifteen of the 16 plays on the possession went to Williams and Stewart on the ground. That allowed Carolina to milk just over eight minutes off the clock while driving 80 yards.

When it was over, Williams had run for two touchdowns and 152 yards on a career-high 30 carries, while Stewart, who scored the go-ahead touchdown versus Washington the previous weekend, ended with 110 yards and a score on 17 carries.

"We've been saying the running game is coming, it's getting close," said Delhomme. "I think [Sunday] it showed. [The Buccaneers] were giving it to us."

It marked the third time in club history that the Panthers have had two runners go over 100 yards in the same game, with the other two instances coming last year from Williams and Stewart. In a game with the Buccaneers last year, the Panthers totaled 299 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Carolina was third in the NFL in rushing last year at 152.3 yards per game. Heading into the Tampa Bay game, the club had posted just 97.3 yards per game on the ground.

"It was a matter of time. I think on offense it takes a little while longer to get the run game going." said head coach John Fox. "We didn't jump out of the blocks. It's something we've worked hard on. We've worked hard in practice and I think we're getting a little bit better as we go."

Carolina has now won two straight since opening with three straight losses, but should take those victories with a grain of salt. The Panthers' last two wins have come over two clubs that are a combined 2-10.

It also helped that the Panthers have been competitive in their last two games. They were outscored 87-37 over their first three games, and playing from behind took the run game out of the equation.

Carolina can get back to .500 this Sunday versus 2-4 Buffalo, which currently ranks last in the NFL against the run, having allowed an average of 181.8 yards per game.

BUCCANEERS: Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Sammie Stroughter probably didn't want to be back returning kicks -- not under these circumstances.

But when Pro Bowl return man Clifton Smith went down at the end of the second quarter of last Sunday's game against Carolina due to a concussion suffered on a vicious and illegal hit by Panthers corner Dante Wesley, it was the 2009 seventh-round pick from Oregon State that replaced him at the game-changing position.

Stroughter's first two kick returns -- one to start the third quarter and one following a Carolina touchdown -- were average; a 26 and 19-yard return, respectively. After another Panthers touchdown gave Carolina a 21-7 advantage, the Buccaneers needed a lift. They got it.

Getting ready to return just the third kickoff of his NFL career, Stroughter fielded the ball at his own three. Building a head of steam, the 23-year-old headed right before finding a seam up the middle. He broke through the hole, shook a few tackles and raced 97 yards to the end zone, getting Tampa Bay within seven.

With new-found energy, the Buccaneers would go on to tie the game at 21-21 before a late Panthers touchdown gave Tampa its 10th straight loss dating back to last year. The Bucs are also 0-6 for the first time since 1985.

But in a season when positive events are hard to find, Stroughter provided some excitement. His kick return was just the third in club history brought back for a touchdown and matched the longest in the franchise's annals.

"The thing I can focus on is having Sammie Stroughter do exactly what we thought we did during the offseason," said head coach Raheem Morris on Monday. "We saw the guy in the OTA days, come in here as a seventh round pick and now he's starting to flourish to his own."

Stroughter also made three catches for a team-high 65 yards on Sunday, with two of those receptions giving Tampa Bay first downs. Quarterback Josh Johnson also looked his way a third time on third down with a pass that fell incomplete.

"He's bounced back [from a shoulder injury], becoming a player for us on both special teams, that third down guy," added Morris of Stroughter. "He's kind of filling that [former wide receiver] Ike Hilliard role where he's becoming big on third down. He's doing some of those things for us and he really energized our team [Sunday] with some of his play."

In regards to Smith, he was injured when Wesley launched himself like a missile into his upper body on a punt return. Morris did not have an update on Monday, leaving Smith status for this Sunday's game in London versus New England unknown.

Wesley was ejected from the game after the hit, which sparked a brief melee, and was suspended for one game without pay on Monday by the NFL.

FALCONS: If you have been keeping score since the Atlanta Falcons' bye week, it is now offense one, defense one.

Coming off their first loss of the season, a road setback to New England in Week 3, and an extra week of preparation, the Falcons' offense exploded in a 45-10 thrashing of the San Francisco 49ers on October 11, racking up 477 yards in the game and 35 points by halftime.

Lost in the blowout was the play of the defense, which yielded only 10 points and 279 yards. It then comes as no surprise that Atlanta's defensive unit grabbed the spotlight in Sunday night's 21-14 victory over Chicago.

Statistically, the Falcons were not better than they were versus the 49ers. Chicago totaled 373 yards and scored twice. However, when Atlanta needed to make stops, it made stops.

"The defense stepped up and made some plays at the beginning of the ball game in the first drive," said head coach Mike Smith. "It was more of a bend but don't break."

The Bears looked to be in early position to grab a lead, driving all the way to the Falcons' 12-yard line. However, second-year safety Thomas DeCoud ended Chicago's march with his first career interception. DeCoud added No. 2 on Chicago's first drive of the second quarter after the Bears had taken a 7-0 lead. That set up a Matt Ryan touchdown pass to Roddy White that evened the game midway in the second frame.

DeCoud credited film work throughout the week in helping him be prepared to face Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.

"He is the type of quarterback who's really confident in his arm," said DeCoud of Cutler. "He thinks he can make every throw, so he'll try to get every ball to his receivers when he can. I knew I had to make a play on the ball, and it paid off for me [Sunday night]."

Following DeCoud's second interception, the Falcons defense forced the Bears to punt on three straight offensive series. Then the bend-not-break mentality that Smith mentioned after the game became a factor.

After Chicago drove to Atlanta's goal line late in the third quarter, the Falcons forced Bears running back Matt Forte to fumble twice, recovering the second gift. Though the Bears would later score a touchdown from in close in the fourth quarter, Chicago was unable to tie the game in the closing seconds of the game despite reaching the Atlanta five-yard line.

"It's just the guys playing good Falcons defense," linebacker Mike Peterson, who notched his first sack of the season in the win, said of Atlanta's red zone stops. "We know when we are going up against a great offense. Our job is to keep them out of the end zone. We were able to do that a couple of times tonight."

Atlanta, which is 4-1 and trails only undefeated New Orleans in the division standings, will need to carry that momentum into this Sunday's battle in Dallas. After playing the well-rested Cowboys (3-2), who were on the bye this past weekend, the Falcons visit the Saints in a big division showdown.