Throwing Picks, Raping Chicks: Roethlisberger Helps Turn Over Saints Fortunes

Are rape jokes classless? I wasn't sure which way to go with this. Two chin jokes. Rape jokes. Motorcycle accident jokes. For a guy with two Super Bowl rings, dude has had a pretty tumultuous career. Whatever, not my rape charge, not my problem. It seems the Saints must first raid their fans of all hope before actually showing up for a game or two. I have got to say, of all the trash games they have played this season, I was the least excited for this one. I thought they would for sure get buried after three straight stinkers at home. Just goes to show, I know little, if anything, about this years Saints team. Given the Steelers' track record against bad teams this year, maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised. 

This game came down to a few things. Mainly, turnovers. The Saints didn't have any and, yes, they actually caused a few themselves. The defensive line showed up to create some havoc, and with the help of a few drops, the secondary was actually in position to make some plays on the ball. Not quite sure whether I should be upset that Patrick Robinson dropped three potential interceptions or happy that he was actually in position to do so for once. Baby steps I suppose. Another notable change was the the ball was not being force fed to Jimmy Graham (as evidenced by his total of 0 targets). This is actually a good thing. Taking a look back at pervious losses this season. Drew Brees had made a habit of giving the ball away in an attempt to get Jimmy his catches. While it would be nice to see him involved more than he was, the Saints ability to put 35 points without his help is encouraging. Graham isn't just a weapon, he is also a fantastic decoy. Kenny Stills can thank him for drawing attention on a few of his bigger plays. 

Was this one game an aberration? Possibly. The Saints still trail the Falcons with 4 games to go. However, those 4 games are against a lowly Bears team and the rest of the putrid NFC South. All the Saints have to do to gain a playoff birth is prove they are the best of the worst. Beat the rest of the teams in the handicapped division and head into the playoffs praying their best is yet to come. This game proved that they have the horses on offense as long as a questionable defense can make just a handful of plays per game. They are still dangerous on paper. That has yet to translate into on field success, but they also aren't as far from it as their record indicates. Playoffs or bust. Ket's get this ball rollin'. WHO DAT!?!

P.S. We miss you Lance. Never Forget.