:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/24392019/20131202_ter_sn8_111.0.jpg)
First and foremost, I am a Saints fan. Always have been and aways will be. My faith is not shattered. I am also realistic. So don't start with me about overreacting. You had to have seen the same game I did.
In what has to be the worst beatdown of the Saints in any game since the 'Aints era of the franchise, the New Orleans Saints lost to the Seattle Seahawks 34-7 in Seattle on Monday Night Football.
If you were watching you might have been looking for the paper bag. It was awful. Embarrassing. It was simply disgusting. This team played like amateurs to a team most think will be your next Super Bowl champions. And Saints fans cannot argue this point.
Drew Brees, Darren Sproles, Marques Colston, Jimmy Graham: the stalwarts of the offense were non factors. The defense couldn't stop Elmer Fudd. Malcolm Jenkins looked like Corey White. The Saints could have doubled their yardage and still not reached what the Seahawks accomplished (429 yards to the Saints 188).
One hundred forty-seven yards passing by Drew Brees. When did you last see that? Seven points scored by this offense. When did you last see that? The Saints got beat in every single aspect of this game by a large margin. It wasn't even close.
So what do we do now? Next Sunday night the Saints face the resurgent Carolina Panthers, winners of 8 straight, now tied (and giddy) with the Saints in the NFC South. The Saints face the Panthers twice in the next two weeks. I still think the Saints take the NFC South championship and sweep the Panthers. There is no way a Payton/Brees-led team does this tragedy act again. And that means anytime soon.
Would we have liked the Saints to have beaten the Seahawks? It would have been nice to make that statement. But they got totally beat down and deserved it. All the Saints can do now is get angry, better, make adjustments and Sean Payton to kick every butt on the team, including players and coaches. Heads have to roll after a loss this bad, this late in the season.
Some of the calls by the officials were less than official. I am sick of the ready flags being ready. The refs called everything instead of letting these guys play and that went against the Saints. But, it didn't remotely decide this game.
This is a humility check. Better now than in a couple weeks. Brees is most certainly not going to get MVP. Peyton Manning has it. But the bigger picture looms. The Saints will be the underdog in every game from here on out. How this team responds is huge. They have a massive hurdle to get over as they have the second hardest schedule in the league this year. The Saints have a great deal to prove. Check moment: they could very well face the Seahawks again in Seattle in a matter of weeks.
