Saints crush Bills, take most impressive win in recent memory

When you are looking to define a team, there is always a moment, a drive, a play to do so.

If there was ever such a moment for the 2017 New Orleans Saints, it was late in the third quarter Sunday in Buffalo.

Already leading 30-3 with 6:55 to play in the quarter, Devante Harris had committed a personal foul on a punt which pinned the Saints back at their own six-yard line, their worst field position of the afternoon.

What did the Saints proceed to do?

Try running the football 10 straight times for 75 yards with Drew Brees putting a punctuation mark on the drive on a seven-yard touchdown run to make it 37-3.

The Saints answered every question imaginable for those who had them. Could they beat a solid team that was 4-0 at home on the road? Could they win in cold weather? Could they extend their win streak? Were they tough enough?

The Saints are the real deal. That was proven Sunday.

Sean Payton has had many great moments and impressive victories in New Orleans. The Super Bowl win over the Colts after the NFC championship game win over the Vikings will always stand out among those.

In the regular season, a 38-17 prime time Monday Night Football victory over the Patriots in 2009 comes to mind.

Considering the opponent and the elements, the win at Buffalo Sunday was as impressive as any in the regular season since the New England game in 2009.

While the Bills are not a threat to make the Super Bowl, they are a solid team that had not lost at home. Oh, by the way, the Saints have now won four straight road games, the sign of a very good football team on the verge of being a title contender.

It is fun to watch!

Here are my Quick Takes from the Saints’ 47-10 win over the Bills Sunday:

**The Saints won the toss and elected to defer, giving the Bills the ball first.

**Buffalo proceeded to drive 57 yards in nine plays, taking 4:02 off the clock with Stephen Hauschcka to make it 3-0 with 10:58 to play in the quarter. The big play of the drive was a 36-yard run by LeSean McCoy while quarterback Tyrod Taylor had a 13-yard run on a quarterback draw.

**The Saints responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive capped by a one-yard touchdown run by Mark Ingram to make it 7-3 with 6:18 to play in the quarter.

It was an attitude drive, with Ingram rushing four times for 43 yards and Alvin Kamara rushing once for nine yards. On the touchdown, Zach Line and Andrus Peat had huge kickout blocks.

**The big play was a fourth-and-one at the Buffalo 30. Sean Payton opted to go for it and Ingram popped a huge 25-yard run straight up the gut against a goal-line defense to set up the score, an indication of the 2017 New Orleans Saints, a different breed.

**Alex Okafor was an outstanding pickup for the Saints in the offseason. He has played outstanding football for New Orleans. He tipped a pair of passes by Taylor early in the game.

**New Orleans had a chance to lengthen the lead early, driving to the Buffalo nine-yard line but on a flat pass completion, Josh Hill was hit by former Saint Ramon Humber, fumbled and Kyle Williams recovered for the Bills at the nine-yard line. That came after a key facemask penalty against Lorenzo Alexander sustained the job.

**Undaunted, the defense got another stop and the offense got a short field and took advantage, driving 48 yards in eight plays with Ingram scoring again from three yards out to make it 14-3 with 9:03 to play in the first half.

**The big play of the drive was a 30-yard completion from Brees to Brandon Coleman. On the play, the Saints quick snapped it, Brees had time, stepped up when the pressure came to buy time and Coleman uncovered.

**Ingram became just the seventh player in New Orleans Saints history to eclipse 6,000 total yards in his career. He celebrated both of his touchdowns by leaping into the stands, where a few Saints fans were.

**Daniel Lasco flew down to make a nice tackle on the ensuing kickoff but he was injured on the tackle. It was not a good sight. He was down a long time, placed on a gurney and taken away in an ambulance. He was able to raise his right arm when carted off to give those watching a positive sign.

**It was later disclosed that Lasco was a spinal injury but that he had movements in his extremities. Saints team doctor Michael Hartman accompanied Lasco to the hospital.

**On the previous defensive series, inside linebacker and captain A.J. Klein went down with an ankle injury. Craig Robertson took over the signal calling duties.

**The Saints then drove 10 plays, 75 yards, taking 4:04 off the clock with Wil Lutz kicking a 23-yard field goal to give the Saints a 17-3 lead with 1:39 to play in the half.

**Brees finished the first half 15-of-20 for 146 yards while Ingram had 11 rushed for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Thomas had seven catches for 91 yards. New Orleans passed it 20 times and rushed it 15 times in the half, maintaining excellent balance. The Saint outgained the Bills 230-112 and had the ball for 16:51 to just 13:09 for the Bills.

**Thomas went over 100 yards receiving for the first time this season with a 21-yard reception on a beautiful catch early in the third quarter.

**New Orleans proceeded to drive 75 yards in nine plays, taking 5:20 off the clock on the opening drive of the second half with Kamara scoring on a pitch sweep from five yards out. It marked the third straight game that Kamara has scored a touchdown in and the Saints took command at 24-3 with 9:40 to play in the third quarter.

**Sheldon Rankins then made his mark, the biggest mark he has made yet. The 2016 first-round pick who had been a bit quiet made two big plays. First, he tackled McCoy for a two-yard loss. Then, he dropped into coverage on tight end Charles Clay.

Taylor hit Clay in the chest, the ball bounced in the air and Rankins caught it and returned it to the Buffalo three-yard line. He later got a sack.

**It took just one play for the Saints to take advantage as Ingram pounded it into the end zone from three yards out to make it 30-3 with 8:24 to play in the third quarter. It was Ingram’s third touchdown of the game, a career best.

**It was the first Saint to rush for three touchdowns since Reggie Bush did so in 2006.

**Lutz poured a little cold water on things, pushing the extra point wide right. It was a small blip in the grand scheme of things but he has to make those. Later, he redeemed himself, nailing a 53-yard field goal.

**David Onyemata got a pass deflection on Taylor in the third quarter, the third of the game for New Orleans.

**Devante Harris then pinned the Saints back to their own six-yard line with a personal foul penalty on a punt by the Bills.

**Ingram went over 100 yards rushing with an 11-yard run midway through the third quarter.

**Then came the definitive drive of 94 yards on 10 running plays to put the Saints up 37-3 by the end of the third quarter.

**Trey Edmunds got into the action in the fourth quarter. He got his first touchdown as well with a 41-yard touchdown run with 3:04 to play. That put the Saints at 301 yards, the second most rushing yards in a single game in franchise history. They gained 307 yards rushing against the Los Angeles Rams in 1981.

**Edmunds’ touchdown was the sixth rushing touchdown in the game for New Orleans, a new franchise record.

**The Saints ran the ball 24 straight times in the second half until Brees hit Thomas for six yards on a fourth-and three to keep a drive going.

**Buffalo did not make a first down in the second half until reserve quarterback Nathan Peterman entered the game and completed an 11-yard pass to Deonte Thompson with 4:36 to play.

**Peterman guided the Bills to a late score, driving 75 yards in six plays. He hit Nick O’Leary on a seven-yard touchdown with 1:54 to play to make it 47-10.

Defining the 2017 Saints, New Orleans had two 100-yard rushers for the first time since Christmas Eve, 2006, when the Saints won on the road 30-7 over the Giants. Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister accomplished the feat as Bush rushed 20 times for 126 yards and a touchdown while McAllister rushed 27 times for 108 yards and a score.

Ingram finished with 21 carries for 131 yards and three touchdowns while Kamara had 12 carries for 106 yards and one touchdown. It was also the first time that New Orleans rushed for 250 or more yards in a game since Dec. 7, 1986, in a game that the Saints actually lost 31-27 to the Dolphins in the Superdome. New Orleans rushed for 257 yards as Rueben Mayes rushed 28 times for 203 yards and two scores.

It was the first time in the 51-year history of the franchise that the Saints had two rushers gain over 100 yards and a 100-yard receiver in the same game. Thomas finished with nine catches for 117 yards.

The 293 yards rushing were the second most in New Orleans Saints history. On Dec. 8, 1891, the Saints rushed for 307 yards in a 21-13 win over the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium as George Rogers rushed 24 times for 161 yards and three touchdowns. The Saints were actually over 300 yards until Daniel took a knee on the final three plays to end the game, losing three yards.

New Orleans won without Brees having to carry the team and without Brees throwing a touchdown pass. Of course, he did his part, going 18-of-25 (72%) for 194 yards. He leads the NFL in completion percentage this season.

Saints fans took over New Era Field in the closing minutes, with a familiar “Who Dat?” chant. Ingram was spotted on the sideline leading the cheers.

The guy earning the easiest paycheck was Thomas Morstead. Having a Pro Bowl season, Morstead did not punt in the entire game.

The vastly improved New Orleans defense is No. 1 in the NFL over the seven-game win streak.

Now, it is on to a home game against Washington next Sunday. The Saints will be favored.

The Saints are the second team in the Super Bowl era to start 0-2 and win their next seven games. The 1993 Dallas Cowboys started 0-2 and went on to win the Super Bowl. That is no longer a pipe dream long shot for Saints fans to think about in 2017. This is a good New Orleans Saints team getting better weekly. The league can no longer ignore the fact that this team is a legitimate threat to win the NFC.