“The worst game of the Sean Payton era“. That phrase gets bandied about a lot. After most heavy defeats, in fact.

But I think that the bipolar 2014 Saints genuinely did just turn in the worst game of the Sean Payton era.

That was f****** unacceptable.

In fact, calling it the “worst game of the Sean Payton era” might not even do it full justice. I am trying to think back to any 21st century game in the Superdome that turned out so ugly. Of games I can remember, it is the heaviest home defeat for the Saints since losing 55-21 to the Colts in the Superdome in 2003. That was bad, but it was also a Peyton Manning homecoming against a vastly inferior Saints team and not entirely unexpected at the time. The Saints lost 34-13 to the Broncos in the Superdome in 2004. That really was ugly. After that game, Tom Benson said “it’s the worst performance I’ve seen by them in the 20 years that I’ve owned them. They looked just like high school kids.” Even so, again that game pitched a lowly Saints team against a strong playoff-bound Broncos team.

Thinking back even further, Haslett’s 2001 Saints lost 40-10 and 38-0 to the Redskins and 49ers at the Superdome in back to back weeks to end the season. Those were putrid turnover ridden performances – but the Saints were out of playoff contention by the time both those games rolled around so were only playing for pride.

The Saints had far more than pride to play for yesterday. A matinee divisional showdown against an ailing 3-8-1 Panthers team, that had not won a game since the first week of October. It was a game that gave the Saints a golden opportunity to take control of the NFC South once and for all, with the Falcons facing a near impossible matchup at Lambeau tonight. Vegas tagged the Saints as a 10 point favorite. I was relishing the prospect of the Saints not just beating, but humiliating, an extremely unlikeable Carolina Panther team. In our previews we had highlighted why, and how, the Saints would romp to victory. Reading them back makes the defeat seem curiously more humiliating. A cruel and permanent relic to our misplaced pre-game optimism.

I could spend pages breaking down why the Saints lost. Hell, I’m going to have to sit through that disgraceful performance to grade it over the coming days. Usually, the tape can be therapeutic after defeats. To help understand “why“. My fear today, though, is that the tape won’t explain why. Because there is absolutely no explanation for the Saints performing like they did.

It was infuriating, baffling and utterly draining in equal measures. The Saints defense played like they had never even seen a read option play before, let alone shut down the exact same plays from the exact same Carolina team just 5 weeks ago. It was like a “no defense” cheat or glitch on a Madden video game had been activated and mercilessly exploited by the Panthers. Did the defensive line not read the scouting report? Hell, was there even a scouting report? Did any linebackers even play? Can someone politely tell Kenny Vaccaro that he doesn’t have to just blindly lower his head and run, at full speed, to where he (wrongly) thinks the ball is going… on every f****** down?

The offense was not much better. The whole offense looked like they had been introduced to one another 5 minutes before kickoff. Like an awkward flag football game where 6 guys dropout the morning of the game, and the ringers come in…

“Hey man, I’m Drew. It’s Joe, right? Nice to meet you Joe. You OK playing the slot?“

Brees looked uncertain and uncomfortable. He missed throws. He passed on open receivers, favoring “triple covered” alternatives. He played with absolutely no fire. He showed no leadership. But that was common throughout the offense. Emotionlessly trotting off in unison, initially to shocked silence after the early turnovers. Then to indifferent silence. Then to boos. Then to louder profanities. Then finally, and perhaps most crushingly of all, to the echoing sounds of the PA system in the cavernous empty Superdome after finally getting into the endzone in garbage time. Stand up and get crunk? No thanks.

The whole day felt like I was watching an entirely different team to the Sean Payton Saints. I don’t want to feel like this again for a long, long time. Hell, whilst Drew and Payton were around, I never thought this kind of Dome defeat could even actually happen…

Well, it just did.

Yesterday could either be a stark wake-up call for an inconsistent underachieving team that is still very much in the playoff hunt. Or it could be a crushing reality check for an overhyped and overrated team that needs to be re-evaluated from top to bottom.

With these bipolar 2014 Saints, it is absolutely impossible to know which.