Underhill: The Saints' offensive against a machine thanks in part to these high-powered opener drives | saints



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Sometimes it seems too easy.

It was not supposed to be Sunday, facing the last unbeaten NFL team, the one that came out and added a group of named players to an already stacked defense.

But the Rams were only another team whose reputation had been tainted by the Saints' offense.

The most critical people will point out that the Saints slowed down in the second half and that Los Angeles tied the game at one point, but New Orleans put a lot of ink on the scoreboard of his victory. 45 -35 at the Mercedes-Benz. Superdome.

It was the kind of victory that was a little like a statement, but the most important statement made by the Saints, and it's a statement they echo every week, is that they're going to come out of doors in swaying, and it is likely that they will understand your defense and end their first run with points.

This came against the buccaneers, the Falcons, the Redskins and now the Rams. The Saints also had a 20-game run against the Ravens who would have ended with a score without a breakaway. In two games against the Browns and Giants, when the first race of the Saints did not give points, New Orleans scored a placement for the same purpose on the second tour.

This is one of the keys to the team's offensive success this season.

"Man, look. I do not know what they are doing, "said running back Alvin Kamara. "Someone cheat. It's like playing Madden against someone's little cousin when Drew (Brees) and Sean (Payton) have joined forces. It's amazing. "

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Sunday's first run set the tone for the rest of the offensive performance. It took 10 games to cover 75 yards and the training had a bit of everything. The Saints even had a room in which Brees was following a route and would have been targeted if a defensive end had not followed him into the field.

Each script of the team plays. This is neither new nor revolutionary, but the Saints do so with such success that it is impossible to tell the story of their series of seven victories without starting at the beginning. And, of course, as with all that Payton does, the reason for the success is the high level of detail he puts into his plans.

"Sean has his openers and he has concocted some pretty complementary pieces," said offensive tackle Terron Armstead. "The first piece is the third. His first and second plays set up the third or the fourth. When he can do that in the openings, he knows what the ball will be on, he knows who will keep who.

"As the game progresses and adjustments are made, you can not go on like that, but for those openers, Sean is impressive."

If it was really a foretaste of the NFC championship game, as some had planned before Sunday, we will be doing a hell of a turn in a few months.

The saints were quite impressive in attack even after the end of the opening script. There was a slight lull in the second half when New Orleans took over its first two possessions, but the Saints added a spot and scored in the fourth quarter after giving up the lead. But it's good to have to beat twice and the offense gains 487 yards and scores 45 points.

The credit must also go to the players in the field. As good as the plan is, they still have to run, and a lot of that started with the offensive line. Brees was not sacked all day and was only hit by Rams pressure a few times, which was surprising considering the reputation the band deserved, led by defenseman Aaron Donald.

Instead, Brees has often been able to take his time. He held the ball for 2.5 seconds or more in 14 passes, a score above his average of about 13 attempts of this type per game the first seven weeks.

The Rams did not force the pressure on the players until Brees was hit with a little over 13 minutes in the fourth quarter when Donte Fowler, bought by Los Angeles earlier this week, hit the quarterback and beat him. 39, forced to remain unfinished. on the third and sixth.

Really, the most impressive moment could have come outside this controlled period when Brees adjusted to take advantage of something he had seen hitting Michael Thomas for a 72-yard touchdown on the third try at the end of the fourth quarter.

When the saints ran the game all week, the pass went to Kamara. But the Rams have doubled the underlying road towards Kamara. Brees went to the bottom of the story and formed a connection with Thomas, who was covered one-on-one by cornerback Marcus Peters.

Before Michael Thomas reaches the first of his 12 receptions or passes the first leg of his all-time 211-yard bonus, the receiver …

It was an aggressive gesture in a moment of tension where some teams could try to play the stopwatch or play by just trying to get the 7 meters needed for a first try. But Brees decided to try his luck and put the game away.

"We want to be aggressive," said Ben Watson. "The way this team, since I played here, even in the first stint, has been aggressive in winning. Often, when you sit down and try to play to stay ahead, you get out of what you do. This is a downstream offense. This is how this offense works best. We have a quarterback who can do all the throws and do all the reading and check things, and he does everything that needs to be done. "

This game is a moment that stood out. Another project that will be on the set of highlights has been planned more thoroughly. It was Watson's touch at the end of the first quarter, and the design of the room left it completely open.

The Saints came out with two tight ends lined up on the same side of the field. Josh Hill waved to the other side to take the man who was covering him, leaving Watson alone in a blanket face to face. The Saints sold action games, Watson did his best as a blocker, then was released late to put himself in the defense. Brees found it for the score.

Both games resulted in easy touchdowns. One of them was the result of Brees' genius. The other was Payton's plots. Their heads were together. It seemed easy and it should not be against what was supposed to be the best team in the NFL.

But this distinction could now belong to the other team in the field Sunday.

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