Welcome everyone to the latest edition of #4Downs, where I break down what went right and what went wrong for the New Orleans Saints! This week I look at the Saints dominant win over the Cincinnati Bengals!
1st Down: Ingram Comes Out of Hiding
After dealing with a four-game suspension, it feels like we’re beginning to see the former first-rounder out of Alabama look like the 2017 version of himself. He was a vital part of the offense both on the ground and the passing game with 162 total yards and a touchdown to boot.
It was an impressive performance from Ingram and could be a sign of things to come for him.
2nd Down: Clean Game
This was an impressive game from all aspects, but it was really refreshing to see the Saints keep those yellow flags off the field with only one coming on a false start early. Not only that, there were only five total flags thrown on Sunday afternoon, which in the modern NFL is a rarity and was refreshing to see.
3rd Down: Shut Down Defense
The defensive effort for the Saints was one of the best that I’ve seen in quite some time. After the Bengals opening drive, they were inefficient the rest of the afternoon. Whatever the defense saw on that first drive, especially with the run game of Joe Mixon and Giovanni Bernard, was snuffed out the rest of the way.
What was especially impressive for the Saints was not allowing a single third down conversion. It’s a big stat and the Saints dominated in that aspect of the game, much like they did in damn near every statistic.
4th Down: The Williams Redemption
With the Saints already up by 21 points with under 90 seconds left until halftime, it felt like there needed to be a knockout blow that needed to be delivered before half. Well, Marcus Williams almost taking one to the house as the first half expired was more than enough to kill any chance of a comeback. Follow that up with a touchdown pass to Thomas on the very next play, the Bengals were looking up at the lights before halftime.
After everything that Williams was dealing with from the aftermath of the Minnesota Miracle, it was great to see him have his moment in the sun and help deliver that knockout punch before halftime.
Extra Point: Can Anyone Stop This Team?
It feels like a Herculean task at this point for any team to stop the New Orleans Saints. It feels like the lone weak spot they have is at wide receiver due to the thinning ranks, but even then they can make up for it with guys like Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, and of all people Keith Kirkwood who was added to the roster on Saturday afternoon.
I guess when you have a superstar quarterback like Drew Brees, it’s pretty easy for this team to beat you on the offensive side of the ball. Combine that with an offense that is hitting it’s stride, good luck stopping this team.