Saints continue to meet the main objective of winning

The days of pretty people winning beauty contests where the New Orleans Saints concerned are gone.

That is a good thing.

For many years, the Saints won with style, putting up huge numbers, particularly in the passing game and in points scored.

That was a pleasure to watch.

In the midst of doing so, the franchise won a Super Bowl.

That was 11 seasons ago now.

There were non-winning seasons in 2007, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016 while big numbers were being compiled by Drew Brees and the offense.

In those years, the Saints were never bad but they were never good enough to rise above mediocrity, being average, mired in the middle of the pack.

It is easy to pick apart the shortcomings in a particular game.

When you score 21 points in the NFL these days, you lose.

Thus far in 2020, only six of the 32 NFL teams have averaged less than 21 points per game.

Those teams are Jacksonville (1-11), Chicago (5-7), Cincinnati (2-9-1), the Giants (5-7), Denver (4-8) and the Jets (0-12)

Of course, none of those teams have a winning record.

There is a direct correlation between offensive productivity and winning.

New Orleans is fifth in the league, averaging 28.9 points per game.

The only teams averaging more points than the Saints (10-2) are Green Bay (9-3), Kansas City (11-1), Tennessee (8-4) and Seattle (8-4).

Of course, all of those teams have a winning record.

There is also a direct correlation between defensive success and winning.

As the top-rated defense in the NFL, New Orleans has allowed the fourth fewest points per game in the league at 20.1 points per game.

Only Pittsburgh (11-0) , Miami (8-4) and Baltimore (6-5) have allowed fewer points.

The bottom four teams in points allowed are Jacksonville, the Jets, Detroit (5-7) and Dallas (3-8).

Beating a division rival twice in a season is tough to do.

Beating any team twice in a season is a difficult task in the NFL.

Atlanta is a dangerous, talented football team, despite its record.

As the Las Vegas Raiders, whom the Falcons destroyed 43-6 a week prior to facing the Saints, at home.

New Orleans controlled the game in Atlanta but let several opportunities to put the game away slip away.

As a result, the Saints had to hold on, to sweat out a victory.

It was not pretty.

It does not need to be.

The kicking game must return to elite status.

Thomas Morstead is punting better in recent weeks.

Not having Deonte Harris in the return game hurts.

The dependable Wil Lutz missed a 40-yard field goal Sunday. He missed one from inside of 30 yards at Chicago earlier this season and missed from over 50 yards in the home win over Atlanta.

Still, Lutz is 20-of-23 on the season and has connected on all of his extra point attempts. He should be fine moving forward.

With Taysom Hill at quarterback, the Saints are running the ball better than anyone in the league.

In the three wins Hill has started, the Saints have rushed for 166, 229 and 207 yards, averaging 200.6 yards rushing per game while dominating time of possession.

That has made up for points left on the field, as was the case in the two wins over Atlanta, when the Saints scored 24 and 21 points, respectively.

Sean Payton is a master of managing his offense and his team.

In 2019, Payton went 5-0 with Teddy Bridgewater managing the game as a Drew Brees clone or mini-me version of the future Hall of Fame player.

Bridgewater made sound decisions, made the short to intermediate, accurate throws which we are accustomed to Brees making and Bridgewater protected the football.

In 2020, Payton is 3-0 with Hill and a running style of football. Hill has just one interception in three games but his fumbles are a real concern.

In his three starts, Hill has fumbled five times, losing two.

Adding the previous game to his first start, at home against San Francisco, Hill has fumbled seven times in four games, losing three.

That cannot continue.

The most important statistic of any ball carrier or quarterback is ball security.

Meanwhile, Hill showed flashes of being a good to very good NFL quarterback Sunday, making excellent throws from the pocket, driving the ball into receivers before defenders could react in time, making a throw or two that Brees likely cannot make at this stage of his career.

Of course, Brees sees the field better and makes better decisions but then again, who is better than Brees in the league in those areas?

Hill has ability but he is maddening.

That is what we should have expected from a 30-year-old who had never started an NFL game.

It is, for lack of a better description, on-the-job training.

In three starts, Hill has had one good game (first Atlanta contest), one game where he was not so good (Denver) and one where he was at his best for two and a half quarters before sputtering.

Consistency is yet to emerge. It may come.

Will he get one more shot at Philadelphia or will Brees return in Philadelphia?

The metrics, the analytics, tell you that the Saints are clearly better than the Eagles and can win without Brees.

Payton will make the right decision.

He will not put Brees on the field if he is not ready.

You want Brees for the impending shootout with Kansas City on Dec. 20 and the important game with nemesis Minnesota on Christmas Day.

Then again, you want Brees sharp and a return to action to work out the kinks against the Eagles may be the ticket, providing the weather conditions are favorable at Lincoln Financial Field.

Each week is a different week in the NFL.

The Seahawks lost to the Giants Sunday.

The Chiefs survived a scare from the Broncos, a division opponent. Does that sound familiar?

The Vikings had to go overtime to beat a bad Jacksonville team.

The Raiders needed a miracle last play to beat the winless Jets.

That is the NFL.

Winning on a weekly basis, against any opponent, is a challenge.

The Saints are winning, against any opponent, meeting every challenge to the tune of nine straight wins.

Rather than picking apart the shortcomings (penalties, missed field goals, fumbles, injuries), the focus should be on the result.

Those are the facts. You cannot make those up.

Whether it is putting lipstick on a pig or make up on a glamorous, eye-opening entity, it is all about winning. Leave the beauty contests and impressive statistics to the glamour crowd and number crunches while the Saints continue to crunch opponents and grind out victories.