Saints try to stay unbeaten at Miami
Saturday, October 24, 2009 11:01 PM PDT
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| Bill haber | Associated Press
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) passing as guard Jahri Evans protects him against the New York Giants in the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans. Depth and continuity on the Saints' offensive line has kept Drew Brees among the least sacked and most productive quarterbacks in the NFL. |
BARRY WILNER
Associated Press
MIAMI — Never in the post-merger era has the NFL had four unbeaten teams this deep into a season. One of those, the Denver Broncos, will remain spotless into November because they are off this weekend.
The Colts almost have another bye — they visit winless St. Louis. New Orleans and Minnesota have much bigger challenges, with the Vikings headed for Heinz Field to play the surging Steelers, and the Saints stopping just short of South Beach at Land Shark Stadium to face the Dolphins.
New Orleans (5-0) looked so good in handing the Giants their first defeat that the folks on the Bayou already are talking about another trip to Miami — for the Super Bowl in February.
Whoa, now. Hold on.
‘‘You’re not going to go 16 weeks the same way that some of our games have unfolded,’’ Saints coach Sean Payton said. ‘‘We just have to keep working to get better.’’
New Orleans has had some blemishes, but the defense is vastly improved, ranking ninth overall, and the offense, led by Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Jeremy Shockey and a bevy of running backs, has been unstoppable.
‘‘What’s important is ... looking closely at yourself without dusting it under the rug,’’ Payton said. ‘‘We try to be critical of ourselves and pay close attention to what wins.’’
What has won the last two games for Miami after an 0-3 start has been defense and the wildcat. The variation on the old single wing was run to perfection by Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams in a victory over the Jets before the Dolphins had a bye.
So Miami will want to control the clock and keep Brees and his menacing minions off the field. Of course, that didn’t quite work out when the Dolphins played Indianapolis in Week 2, when the Colts had the ball for less than 15 minutes and still won.
Minnesota (6-0) at Pittsburgh (4-2)
Twice, the Vikings went to the wire and won, thanks in great part to the arm, guile and guts of Brett Favre. Those wins over San Francisco and Baltimore are the kind that separate good teams from champions.
Now the Vikings face the champions, who have won three in a row. But instead of this matchup highlighting the defenses, both of which are top-notch, it could turn into an offensive showcase for Favre and Ben Roethlisberger.
And with the Steelers’ Rashard Mendhenhall emerging as a running threat behind what has been a suspect line, each team can move on the ground. Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson leads the league in rushing.
Indianapolis (5-0) at St. Louis (0-6)
Peyton Manning and the Colts know that St. Louis took Jacksonville to overtime on the road last week. How much does that really matter?
Manning has been as good as ever, which is saying a lot for a three-time MVP. He has set a franchise record with five straight 300-yard games, and can tie the NFL mark with a sixth.
‘‘He is playing outstanding, and I think that is an understatement,’’ coach Jim Caldwell said. ‘‘He’s always been excellent since he arrived here, but he’s at a different level now.’’
New England (4-2) vs. Tampa Bay (0-6)
Cheerio, mates, welcome to the Wembley mismatch. The Patriots, who almost never take anyone lightly, come off a 59-0 annihilation of another winless team, the Titans. Bill Belichick will likely show more mercy (we think) in front of the English crowd in the third straight regular-season contest in London.
‘‘It’s certainly not a normal week for us,’’ said Tom Brady, who made quite a statement about his comeback when he threw for six touchdowns against Tennessee, ‘‘but I think it’s important for us players to realize that this is a trip for us that we’re trying to go over there and win a game, nothing more than that. It’s like any other road trip that we take. It’s not for going out and seeing the sights, or anything like that; it’s for one reason and we need a really focused group. And we certainly need to bring our energy and excitement, and try to go out there and play a great game.’’
Opponents don’t usually need great against the Bucs.
Atlanta (4-1) at Dallas (3-2)
This could be one entertaining shootout, judging by the work of Atlanta’s Roddy White (8 catches, 210 yards, 2 TDs) and Dallas’ Miles Austin (10, 250, 2) in their last games.
If the Cowboys are going to contend, they need to straighten out now. The two best teams they played, the Giants and Broncos, beat them with key plays down the stretch. Atlanta is at the same level as New York and Denver.
The Falcons get division-leading New Orleans in their next game, so they need to keep a level head here.
Chicago (3-2) at Cincinnati (4-2)
Both teams were exposed last weekend, the Bears at Atlanta and the Bengals at home against Houston. Jay Cutler has made a so-so group of receivers much better, but he’s throwing far too many interceptions (7), and Matt Forte hasn’t gotten on track, sinking the running game to 27th overall. The defense isn’t fierce enough to bail out the Bears.
Cincinnati’s defense has been strong enough to turn games in the Bengals’ favor, but the line has been decimated, losing end Antwan Odom, among the league’s sacks leaders, to a torn right Achilles’ tendon.
Arizona (3-2) at N.Y. Giants (5-1)
In their last trip to the Meadowlands, albeit against the Jets, the Cardinals limped away with an injured Anquan Boldin and a 56-35 defeat. They also fell at home to the Giants 37-29 late in 2008, well before the turnaround that catapulted the Cardinals into the Super Bowl.
They can make a statement by winning this one, particularly with the Giants angry about their performance at New Orleans in their only defeat. Plus, New York has questions about its secondary, not a good thing with Larry Fitzgerald coming to town.
But the Giants also should be able to move the ball, particularly on the ground.
San Francisco (3-2) at Houston (3-3)
So much attention is being sent Michael Crabtree’s way as the first-round draft pick finally gets on the field for the 49ers. He’s not likely to have a big role, but the return of standout running back Frank Gore figures to be the focal point for San Francisco.
The Texans had their best performance a week ago in Cincinnati.
The offense, sparked by Matt Schaub throwing to Andre Johnson, was dynamic, and the defense, led by LB DeMeco Ryans, was impeccable. Still, Houston is as inconsistent as any team.
Philadelphia (3-2) at Washington (2-4)
The Redskins finally play someone who has won a game. But the Eagles come off an incredibly poor performance at Oakland, where the line couldn’t protect Donovan McNabb and the whole team looked like it underestimated the Raiders.
Not that there is much to overestimate about an Oakland club that can’t move the ball and must rely on keeping the total score below 25 to win.
San Diego (2-3) at Kansas City (1-5)
How familiar does this sound: San Diego is underachieving early in the season? To be fair, the Chargers have lost to Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Denver. Their offensive line is in shambles and what was expected to be a big-play defense can’t make any plays.
KC finally got victory No. 1 for the new regime of coach Todd Haley and GM Scott Pioli by winning at Washington, but has been competitive most of the year. The Chiefs also were 0-4 in the preseason.
‘‘It’s a big weight off your shoulders,’’ said defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey. ‘‘You don’t want to be one of those teams without a win. We want to build on it and, hopefully, we can come out next week and get another one.’’
Green Bay (3-2) at Cleveland (1-5)
Already struggling on the field, the Browns have been weakened severely by the flu this week. A half-dozen starters could be sidelined, and a suspect defense might have few ways of penetrating that hole-filled Packers blocking unit.
Green Bay is getting more comfortable with the 3-4 alignment installed this year, with rookie linebacker Clay Matthews III — whose dad was a standout for the Browns for 16 seasons — coming off a superb game.
Buffalo (2-4) at Carolina (2-3)
The Bills gave up 318 yards rushing to the Jets last Sunday — and Carolina is just as good at running the ball with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. The Panthers seem quite capable against the dregs of the league. The Bills remain in that category despite last week’s victory, which was more of a gift from the charitable Jets.
N.Y. Jets (3-3) at Oakland (2-4)
Speaking of gifts, the Eagles were just as nice to the Raiders as the Jets were to the Bills. Oakland shouldn’t expect such kindness again, especially if New York gets that ground game going again.
Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell usually gets blitzed a lot. In this game, he can expect get blitzed just about every play.
