The New Orleans Saints finally clocked their first win of the season on the road against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. The Saints headed into this afternoon’s game with an 0-3 start amidst analysts and odds-makers predicting a fourth loss. Given the challenges facing this team, a road win seemed unlikely.

New Orleans Saints Week Four Takeaways

Good, Ugly and Great from the Saints Defense

A lot may be said about this Saints defense tonight. There was good, there was bad, and there was ugly but at the end of the game, it was the Saints that went home with the win.

The New Orleans defense came out strong, forcing a three and out on San Diego the first possession of the game. After this however, Chargers quarterback Phil Rivers seemed to have his way with the Saints injury-laden secondary. Although they opened the second half a little more aggressively, it was clear by the fourth quarter that this defense still continued to struggle, and that they were unable to make key plays. But then they did.

Drew Brees started looking rattled halfway through the fourth quarter when it seemed that nothing his offense did would allow them to win a football game. With the game nearly over, the Saints defense still proved incapable of stopping the opposing team’s offense. After throwing three of four incomplete passes, Brees threw his second interception of the evening. San Diego quickly took advantage, making the score 34-21. The Saints needed two touchdowns with 7.5 minutes to go in the game which seemed an impossible task given that the Saints punted their last five possessions.

In an unbelievable turn of events, the Saints defense forced two back-to-back turnovers, suddenly putting Brees and the Saints back in the game. Cornerback Darryl Tapp and inside linebacker Nate Stupar recovered the fumbles by San Diego, both of which allowed the Saints offense to score touchdowns, the second of which was scored leaving a scary 1:57 left on the clock for Phil Rivers. However, the Saints defense came out with yet another key play and sacked Phil Rivers on first down. On fourth and 22, cornerback B.W. Webb intercepted Rivers essentially winning the football game.

The Saints defense seemed to come through when the offense couldn’t (which is rare). We saw this when they played the Giants and we saw this again tonight. The difference between both games is that Brees and his offense were able to clinch the win this time.

A Well Balanced Offensive Attack

Any game quarterbacked by Drew Brees will result in tons of yards through the air. He has 1,269 passing yards in just four games. However, the Saints have been unable to muster up much of a rushing game this season, even against opponents known for their inability to stop the run. The Saints saw a very well-balanced offensive attack in week four, with 191 net passing yards and 84 net rushing yards. Of the five touchdowns scored, two were passing and three were rushing.

Brees managed to hit nine targets passing, including Mark Ingram six times and Michael Thomas four times. Both Brandin Cooks and Coby Fleener had three catches. The Saints also had a very diverse rushing attack utilizing Ingram, Tim Hightower and Daniel Lasco from their special teams.

Ingram played exceptional today walking away with six catches for 44 yards, making him the leading receiver in the game. He also had 18 carries for 57 yards on the ground and one touchdown. John Kuhn was also notable, scoring three of the Saints five touchdowns this afternoon.

Third-Down Conversions and Red Zone Efficiency

It’s difficult to criticize a top five offense, especially when there are so many things to be said about a bottom three defense. However, the third down efficiency of the Saints as of late has been sub-par. New Orleans ranked 21st in the NFL prior to this afternoon’s game, converting third downs a lousy 38 per cent of the time. Drew Brees lit it up today, allowing the Saints to convert 11 of 18 attempts for a 61 per cent conversion efficiency. Moreover, the Saints walked away with a 100% red zone efficiency, scoring a touchdown all five times they made it into the red zone.

Conclusion

When asked what the problem seemed to be in New Orleans after three consecutive losses (two of which were by a combined four points in the final minute of both games), Drew Brees answered that “This team needs to learn how to win”. The defense and the offense have been unable to work together simultaneously to pull out a win. Today, the Saints finally snagged the win that they so badly needed with defining moments coming from both sides of the ball. Perhaps they did need to learn ‘how’ to win a game or perhaps they simply needed a little luck. Either way, a win for this injury-laden team may be just what they needed to bolster their confidence. The Saints will head into their bye week and have plenty of time to regroup before facing the Carolina Panthers in week six. And as luck will have it, all is not lost this season for this 1-3 team. After today, three of four teams in the NFC South are also 1-3.