With the results of the first half of the NFL season have been so insanely unpredictable that they could be what finally convinced a few degenerate gamblers to find a vice that's less detrimental to their mental health (for instance, black tar heroin), I guess I shouldn't complain about the Saints fourth straight victory. The rest of their division is falling faster than the precipitation that turned a Drew Brees-led offense into something that could be used as evidence in Colin Kaepernick's collusion case for the entirety of the first quarter. So yeah, the avoidance of a trap game that could have put the clamps on the long overdue building of confidence they broke ground on the week prior has to be considered a relative success. A relative success that had the vast majority of their fanbase waiting for the trading of field goals to shed a depressing, unflattering light on the selflessness they showed in giving away a free extra point, but a relative success nonetheless. Going to Lambeau Field and leaving with a victory is always a more difficult task than it seems on the (wet and unforgiving) surface, even if the way in which they did so opened some eyes as to how much work they have to do before competing with an Aaron Rodgers-led Packers team. Tough to tear down a 4-2 effort in what was considered the "hard" part of the schedule, but they'll have to cut down on the mistakes if they want the "easy" part of the schedule to stay that way. It's easier to forgive red zone interceptions when they come in a win, but the Carolina Panthers proved exactly how easy it is to lose games to mediocre teams when your offense is complicit in taking points off your side of the board. Theoretically, the Saints should roll over the Bears at home next week, but not if they continue the practice of taking dumb, unnecessary penalties in an effort to stop an inexperienced quarterback that was doing a perfectly fine job of stopping himself. Ken Crawley's lazy "ole' bullshit" on Brett Hundley's touchdown scamper was a microcosm of the type of tackling that allowed a backup to remain upright and keep drives alive, and it's an example of the type of self infliction that can wound playoff hopes in the long run. Now, the fact that the Saints actually have shockingly realistic playoff hopes after getting off to a start that had some of their most loyal supporters anxiously awaiting an unceremonious finish to the Sean Payton administration is credit to how far they've come. However, needing the better part of 3.5 quarters to put some distance between themselves and a team that threw for under 100 yards shows just how much farther they have to go. Continuing to hold teams under 20 points while running them into the ground with a formidable two-headed rushing attack is a good start, but let's hope the finish is a bit more ascetically pleasing from a complimentary football perspective.
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