Ezra Shaw
The New Orleans Saints got back to .500 on the season by doing exactly what good teams are supposed to do to bad teams like the Oakland Raiders: beat the hell out of them.
New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Chase Daniel got to see some action late in the game, as the Saints cruised to their fist easy victory of the season, defeating the Oakland Raiders 38-17.
The Saints clicked on both sides of the ball this Sunday, most surprisingly on defense. Roman Harper and Malcolm Jenkins each came up with early interceptions, the later which was returned for a touchdown, while Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer was sacked three times throughout. All of this despite still giving up over 400 yards to their opponent.
Also a pleasant surprise was the continued dedication to rushing the football and balanced play calling. Perfectly balanced at 28 run/28 pass actually. Running back Mark Ingram turned in his best performance of the season (12 carries, 67 yards, 1 TD), breaking off a few impressive runs, including one to the outside for a touchdown.
Even special teams got in on the action with a great 75-yard kickoff return from Travaris Cadet to start the second half.
Not surprising, however, was the stellar play of Drew Brees (20/27, 219 yards), who threw three touchdowns and no interceptions as he continued his career dominance over the Raiders and kept all of his streaks alive. Lance Moore had two of those touchdowns and Jimmy Graham the other.
The stupid penalties and the taunting will need to be cleaned up before the team moves forward and pushes for a final wildcard playoff spot.
Below are complete stats from the game.
***
Team Stats
| NO | OAK | ||
| First Downs | 19 | 24 | |
| Total Yards | 382 | 404 | |
| Passing Yards | 229 | 284 | |
| Rushing Yards | 153 | 120 | |
| Penalties (Yds) | 11(109) | 4(40) | |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 | |
| Punts (AVG) | 4(43) | 3(38) | |
| Time of Pos. | 28:36 | 31:24 |
Top Performers
| NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | ||||
| Passing | CP/AT | YDS | TD | INT |
| D. Brees | 20/27 | 219 | 3 | 0 |
| Rushing | CAR | YDS | TD | LG |
| M. Ingram | 12 | 67 | 1 | 27T |
| C. Ivory | 8 | 37 | 0 | 25 |
| Receiving | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
| J. Graham | 6 | 29 | 1 | 10 |
| M. Colston | 4 | 69 | 0 | 24 |
| P. Thomas | 3 | 28 | 0 | 19 |
| OAKLAND RAIDERS | ||||
| Passing | CP/AT | YDS | TD | INT |
| C. Palmer | 22/40 | 312 | 2 | 2 |
| Rushing | CAR | YDS | TD | LG |
| M. Reece | 19 | 103 | 0 | 17 |
| T. Jones | 3 | 13 | 0 | 7 |
| Receiving | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
| B. Myers | 6 | 55 | 1 | 27 |
| M. Reece | 4 | 90 | 0 | 56 |
| D. Heyward-Bey | 4 | 69 | 0 | 22 |
Poll
Who was the Saints player of the game?
Malcolm Jenkins (57 votes)
Drew Brees (57 votes)
Lance Moore (35 votes)
Roman Harper (6 votes)
Mark Ingram (18 votes)
173 total votes
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