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Butch Dill / Associated Press
There are no more undefeated teams in the NFL after the New Orleans Saints won a frustrated 45-35 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
The Saints could not keep their 35-17 lead at half-time, but a 72-yard touchdown by Michael Thomas in the fourth quarter ensured their seventh straight win, which is now the longest active sequence of the NFL. Drew Brees threw four touchdown passes to help his team fight their way inside the No. 1 seed of the NFC after defeating the conference's top competitors.
Jared Goff had three touchdown passes, but that was not enough to prevent the Rams' first loss of the season, which fell to 8-1.
Alvin Kamara is the biggest offensive offset of the NFL
Every imaginary football player knows the numbers that Alvin Kamara can offer at his best, and Sunday's numbers were as good as ever with 82 rushing yards, 34 receiving yards and three touchdowns in total.
He is still almost underrated with his ability to create great games by himself, especially with the way he scored his first two touchdowns:
NFL @NFL
. @ A_kamara6 makes this look so easy.
@Saints hits first in New Orleans!
?: FOX #GoSaints #SaluteToService https://t.co/ch9iYcYpSG
Although the third score was on an easy run of one meter in the middle, these other two were pieces that few others could replicate. He shows patience and athleticism as a runner, as well as excellent hands and a run as a receiver.
He turned heads throughout the match, regardless of his position:
Brees was at his best and Thomas dominated with 12 catches for 211 yards and a score, but the offensive hit was largely thanks to Kamara.
He has seen his consumption drop a little in the last three games since Mark Ingram II returned to training, recording a mediocre average of 63.3 yards per game per game.
However, he was hit in this one and he showed the kind of impact he can have against an elite opponent. The sophomore must continue to see at least 20 looks each week if the Saints are to live up to expectations.
Rams' defensive fights a major concern for the Super Bowl candidate
This is a problem every time the defense gives up 45 points, even in the face of a formidable home-grown offense led by a future quarterback of the Hall of Fame.
The Saints were able to easily move the ball into the field in the first half, then they got big plays in the second half exactly when they were needed. The high school had a lot of trouble, including the much vaunted Marcus Peters cornerback.
While this may be excusable as a disappointing performance, the truth is that the Rams have had problems all year round in defense.
Los Angeles looked better in numbers this season, placing sixth in the NFL in points allocated per game early in the day. However, much of this success has been won by the teams in the last 10 of the list of scores in the 9th week.
The unit allowed just 23 points in easy wins against the Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers, but all the other teams have scored at least 20 points this season, with three now 30.
It is clear that the defense is worse than many believe:
Skip Bayless @RealSkipBayless
The Saints just hooked 35 in the first period on the Rams D 8-0. That's why I chose the Saints to win the NFC and I'm still not sold on the Rams.
Aaron Donald is obviously a game changer in the middle of the defensive line, and he has always had an impact with four hits. The problem is that the rest of the players did not manage to compete with a quality opponent and he gave no chance to his team to win.
A healthy Aibib talib could help, but this is not yet enough to redress the situation after the recent conflicts.
Even at 8-1 of the season, the Rams will no longer be a threat to the Super Bowl until improvements are made on the defensive.
Jared Goff no longer has questions after his consecutive efforts back
Although he was the # 1 choice in 2016, Jared Goff has not been treated as an elite quarter over the last two seasons. He published large numbers, but these were considered the result of an excellent coaching staff and talent around him.
Head coach Sean McVay is certainly useful, as well as Todd Gurley in the background and a talented receiver corps, but Goff deserves recognition after his performances in the last two games.
The quarterback led the Rams to a win over the Green Bay Packers last week after being sidelined double-digit, making three touchdown passes without any interception in the win.
He was just as good against the Saints, keeping calm after a deficit of 18 points at halftime.
Although his teammates played hard after the restart, Goff showed his talent in several impressive passes that few others could reproduce:
We already knew that the third-year player could succeed when everything went well, but his inexperience in difficult situations created a major point of interest for the Rams. He made only one comeback in the fourth quarter last season in his 11-4 run as a starter and did not do much more this year.
Although he was not able to solve the problem against the Saints, his efforts to come back in this game and against the Packers showed he would be a major threat for the rest of the season and the playoffs.
And after?
The Rams continue their toughest game of the season with two home games against the Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Saints will go on the road to face the Cincinnati Bengals, who were off for the 9th week.
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