Saints Impressive Win sends them "SKYWALKING" into 2nd-Half of 2020
Impressive. Most Impressive.
No, it's not Darth Vader's voice admiring the talents of his son Luke Skywalker, but it's mine and most of the Who Dat Nation - if not, NFL fans and experts - blown-away with the Saints' 38-3 blowout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Before Sunday night's contest between the Saints and Buccaneers, most did not give New Orleans a chance to win a second-time versus the legend of Tom Brady. But they did; In a very decisive way.
I wrote a column on Saturday afternoon about how the Saints need a Decisive Win in Tampa - even quite a few Saints fans believed I was "off base or off my rocker." I felt New Orleans had to set the tone for the remainder of 2020 with a statement win.
The credit goes to Sean Payton. Nevertheless, most of the credit is for Dennis Allen and his defensive staff.
As a child growing up in New Orleans, as a fan, but more so as an analyst covering the Saints, this win was the finest defensive performance I ever witnessed.
No, I am not and will not overlook impressive wins from the Dome Patrol legends, but on Sunday night, after hundreds of Saints games I watched, perhaps this was the best overall game as well.
Taysom Hill's 20-yard run had him "skywalking" over Bucs defenders. Hill also had an outstanding game for New Orleans. It punctuated a night that will be long remembered by Saints fans. It was the night the Saints humbled Tom Brady and destroyed the notion the NFC South was no longer within their grasp.
There are eight games left on the Saints' schedule. Two games against their most-hated rival, a Super Bowl Champion & NFL MVP, a northern team planning to gift purple kryptonite on Christmas, and a finale with Teddy "Two Gloves" in Carolina will prove to be challenging for Payton's crew. Running the table may not be unlikely, but will it be sustainable.
The Saints have a great chance of either equalling their best record or better in this stretch run. Can they do it and gain top seed in could be a modified NFL playoff schedule?
We shall see.