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 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
1st Down: Ingram Continues to Dominate
It was all around dominance on Sunday afternoon, but we saw another big day from Mark Ingram, who racked up 103 yards on 16 total carries and two touchdowns to boot. We’ve seen him get back to his old self the last few week and from the first offensive play for New Orleans, it was clear he wasn’t going to be denied another big game when pushed through the trenches and came out smelling like roses with a 38-yard run to get them into field position.
This Saints offense has been prolific this season and now that they’re all running on all cylinders, they’re absolutely terrifying.
2nd Down:Hit the Tre’Quan Part Deux
Tre’Quan Smith had been used in the last few weeks sparingly and mainly was a decoy. That changed in a big way with the former UCF wideout getting 10 receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown.
The rookie needed an emotional boost and Brees gave it to him and then some, telling Smith that he trusts him in his abilities. This offense has so many weapons and using him with consistency could be huge for the franchise’s chances of making it back to the promised land.
3rd Down: Strong Defensive Effort
In the modern NFL, it’s hard to put together a phenomenal defensive effort for four quarters. What we saw on Sunday was that kind of game. 196 total yards of offense for the Eagles, two interceptions, and three sacks was one of the absolute best performances that this franchise has had in a long time.
We saw the secondary look really good against one of the top tight ends in the league in Zach Ertz and we know how hard it’s been in the past for the Saints to defend the big TEs. It’s refreshing to see this team be so well rounded compared to some of these NFL games.
4th Down: Petty or Just Plain Genius?
One of the more contentious points of Sunday’s win was the Saints going for it on 4th down and going with the deep ball for the score. Many fans of the Philadelphia Eagles cried out on social media that there was no class shown by the team for doing that when they were already up by a ton of points at that point of the game.
The Saints are a team that can pretty much do whatever they want at this point in time. Sure it was petty as all get out, but when your offense can’t be stopped you have to appreciate this team for going out there and executing.
Extra Point: Kamara a Man of His Word
Said what I said…
— Alvin Kamara (@A_kamara6) November 19, 2018
-Clint Domingue