No matter how you look at it Sunday’s convincing 8 point road win against the Chicago Bears was impressive. In case you wrinkled your brow at my use of “convincing” on the 8 point win, I’ll point out that Sean Payton was running a “prevent offense”, and Rob Ryan was running a “prevent defense” in the second half. Both allowed the Bears to get a little more than they earned by late in the game.

XMagyver, Senior Staff Writer, Tailgate Sports Network Editor/Webmaster

The key to the win was simple enough, it was individual effort. Even the smallest contribution by any single effort was part of the tapestry that Sean Payton, Rob Ryan and Drew Brees wove last Sunday. The coaching by the Saints staff was as unique as it was overwhelming for the Bears, and that part I’ll save for another article. Let’s look at the team effort this time.

Drew Brees:

Drew had a solid performance Sunday, completing 29 of 35 passes with 2 touchdowns and a 83% completion ratio. His two sacks can be blamed on O-line injuries, but he didn’t throw a single interception. It should be pointed out that Drew could have exceeded his 288 yards and extended his consecutive touchdown record. The fact that he didn’t shows he stuck fast to Sean’s conservative style in the game, and put the win ahead of his personal considerations.

Jimmy Graham:

Graham’s 10 receptions for 135 yards led the Saints team. Last week Sean held Jimmy back in the beginning of the game, this week Graham struck early and often, like an angry snake. Jimmy created a mismatch regardless of who tried to cover him and wreaked havoc with the Bears defense like the 10 plagues of Egypt. The Bears hit him at the line; they double-teamed him, all to no avail.

Pierre Thomas:

We think of Thomas as a running back but that’s not how he did his damage Sunday. Pierre carried the ball 19 times for 36 yards for a “Mark Ingram like” 1.9 yards per carry, but he shined as a receiver. Thomas almost matched Graham with 9 catches, and two of them were first half touchdowns. Jimmy would pave the way and Pierre would get it across the goal line. Thomas was a work horse and helped put the Bears in a hole and keep them there.

Nick Toon:

Ahh, Toon. Toon hasn’t even been forged into a complete weapon yet, but by the time Sean Payton finishes honing an edge on dat azz he’ll be as dangerous as Swiss steel. Drew only targeted Nick once. Drew didn’t miss, and Toon didn’t drop it. The 35 yards hit the Bears like a Jackie Chan punch, and moved the chains for Thomas just before the half. Thomas sealed the deal with his second touchdown and the Bears went to their locker room reeling like drunks.

Garrett Hartley:

Hartley didn’t spend much time on the field, so we won’t spend much time here. The end result? A perfect four-for-four field goals and perfect results on his point after kicks. It doesn’t get any better than that folks. Garrett’s contribution was a big part of the reason that the Saints never trailed in the game.

Jed Collins:

Our fullback gets overlooked in most games but not Sunday. Jed’s eyes got wider each time his name was called in the huddle. Collins had a quite respectable day with the same 3 carries that Sproles and Robinson got for 11 yards and a 3.7 YPC. Collins was also thrown to a surprising 4 times. CBS Sports said that Collins “only gained 17 yards through the air”, but that’s a bit misleading. 4 for 17 yards is a 4.25 YPR number, and it will move the chains all day long.

Thomas Morstead:

“The Leg” had a rough day in the Windy City, but still managed to get the job done. When you consider wind effect vs hang time he did some very good directional punting. Morstead was worried about the Bears returner Devin Hester but managed to hold him to a total of 17 return yards on a single punt return. Out of 7 kickoffs Thomas drove 5 touchbacks, while allowing only 49 yards total on two kickoff returns.

Honorable Mention:

Darren Sproles:

Sproles was heavily guarded and only gained 10 yards on 3 carries. The Bears had to stack the box to cover him, as a result it opened up passing lanes for Brees. Darren’s mission was accomplished with a decent 3.3 YPC and no fumbles.

Khiry Robinson:

Sean Payton “threw Robinson into the fire” early, as if to remind the NFC that he’s forging a new weapon. Previously Khiry had been on the 2nd half “cleanup crew”. Like Sproles Robinson got 3 carries and managed to get 9 yards for a 3 YPC average. If he hadn’t been stuffed behind the line on one play when the O-line gave way he would have done better.

Marques Colston:

Colston was used sparingly in the Bears game. Drew threw to him twice; Colston caught it twice for 15 yards and a 7.5 YPR. Sean used Colston to pull defenders away from Jimmy Graham, mission accomplished.

Kenny Vaccaro:

Kenny played an impressive game Sunday. His 6 tackles were all solo, and show he’s fitting well with Rob Ryan’s defense. He defended a pass, made one tackle for a loss, and had a quarterback sack.

Malcolm Jenkins and Cam Jordan:

Jenkins forced the only Bears turnover when he sacked Jay Cutler and forced out the ball. Cam Jordan grabbed it and scampered like a 287 lb chipmunk to the Bears 6 yardline.

Robert Meachem:

We can’t leave out the “Meach”; he made a great effort in the game too but didn’t get the reward he had earned. The Meach ran a perfect route, Drew threw a perfectly timed pass, but Meachem was cheated of the touchdown by a Bears defender who was draped on him like a cheap sweater. The guy hooked his left arm, then pulled Robert’s jersey with his right arm and slowed him down just enough that the pass sailed by just in front of him. Nope, no flag.

What more need I say? It was a total team effort, and a great team win for the undefeated New Orleans Saints.

Picture Credit: Pic courtesy of wikimedia.org

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