It almost certainly was too little, too late, but the Saints had by far their most complete performance of the season on Sunday, clobbering Tampa Bay 41-0 and eliminating the Bucs from playoff consideration while maintaining their impossibly slim hopes.
Quarterback Drew Brees played mistake free after throwing nine interceptions the last three weeks. The maligned defense shut out an opponent for the first time in 17 years. The special teams atoned for atrocious kickoff coverage the previous Sunday in a damaging loss to the New York Giants.
The Saints were left wondering where this performance had been when they really needed it.
Offense: A
Tampa Bay’s defense, dead last in passing yards allowed, is tailor-made for Brees to torch. He didn’t disappoint. He completed 11 of 12 passes in the first quarter, and the one exception was a drop by RB Darren Sproles that likely would have gone for an 83-yard TD. Brees finished 26 of 39 for 307 yards with four TDs and no interceptions, but the Saints’ ability to run was even more impressive. With untested RT Will Robinson making his first career start in place of the injured Zach Strief, New Orleans rushed for 149 yards vs. the league’s top rushing defense, second only to the 155 the Redskins and RG3 managed. Mark Ingram had 14 carries for 90 yards, one off his career high. An end-around to Devery Henderson produced 13 yards. Even Brees scrambled for an 11-yard gain, showing how much he wanted to win despite the Saints’ 5-8 record. His longest run of the year had been 3 yards. Last week’s grade: D
Defense: A
The Bucs finished with 386 yards, but almost all of them were meaningless. They gained just 96 yards in the first half, when the game was decided. The Saints made slumping Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman look like a career backup, picking him off four times, their most interceptions in a game since 2002. CB Jabari Greer had two interceptions in a regular season game for the first time in his career, and the Saints limited Doug Martin, one of the NFL’s leading rushers, to 16 yards on nine carries. The Bucs had only four first downs in the first half. DE Will Smith, finally energized by the conclusion of the bounty hearings, had a sack and another tackle for a loss. S Roman Harper had a team-high 11 tackles. Last week’s grade: D
Special teams: A
Bouncing back from a horrendous kickoff coverage display that cost them any chance to beat the Giants, the Saints stuffed the Bucs’ return units, providing a significant emotional lift. Thomas Morstead’s first kickoff sailed through the end zone. When Roscoe Parrish tried to return one out of the end zone, Junior Galette plastered him at the 15. The only glitch was Parrish’s 39-yard punt return, but Morstead still had a net of 41.8 on five punts, remaining on pace to break the NFL record for net punting in a season. Sproles set up a TD late in the first half with a 37-yard punt return. Garrett Hartley made field goals of 25 and 36 yards. Last week’s grade: F
Coaching: A
It’s a myth that NFL teams lay down the second they fall out of the playoff picture, but the Saints had plenty of reasons to come out flat after entering the year with Super Bowl visions and crashing to 5-8 under the weight of the bounty affair. Instead, they played with passion and determination, a credit to interim coach Joe Vitt and his staff. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, whose first season in New Orleans has been rough, deserved a day like this. Not much more needs to be said. Tampa Bay, which had something tangible to play for, was the team that didn’t show up. Last week’s grade: F
Follow Saints reporter Guerry Smith on Twitter @CBSSaints.
