What you missed this week with the New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints faced a dreaded short week after coming off a big victory over the Carolina Panthers only to lose a few days later to the Atlanta Falcons. It was a game riddled with injury and questionable officiating. However, what’s done is done, and the Saints focus on getting healthier for their back-to-back home games.

Quick Hits

• No matter how Week 14 plays out, the Saints will still hold down the No. 4 spot in the NFC Playoff race. Going back to the game against the Panthers, it was the first time New Orleans swept Carolina since the 2011 season.
• Alvin Kamara won his fifth straight Pepsi Rookie of the Week award.
• Cameron Jordan was named the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.
• The defense will likely be without A.J. Klein (groin) and Trey Hendrickson (ankle) for several games. Look for Darryl Tapp to get a quick call, and maybe Al-Quadin Muhammad might get activated against the Jets.
• Defensive lineman David Parry, who is on injured reserve, is serving a four-game suspension for an arrest back in February. The game against the Falcons counted as the first.
• It seems like forever ago, but the Saints placed Coby Fleener on injured reserve last Saturday and waived De’Vante Harris. Harris returned to the practice squad.

New Orleans Saints Players Back Mike Mitchell In Hilarious Video | TMZ.com
TMZ Sports spoke with Saints CB Sterling Moore and LB Craig Robertson before they played the Falcons in Atlanta on Thursday ... and they both made it clear they stand by Mitchell.

FYI, Mitchell -- safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers -- went off on the NFL and Goodell over recent suspensions and fines levied against defensive players. The video went viral.

It’s worth your time watching this video. They give some to Kamara as Rookie of the Year.

Drew Brees, Saints sound off on injury risks of Thursday night football | theadvocate.com
"Seriously, speak up?" Sean Payton said. "What do you guys think, why do you think there were so many injuries tonight?"

Payton was hinting at an answer his quarterback put bluntly later in the locker room.

"It's 100 percent a product of playing on Thursday night," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. "You understand what guy's bodies go through in a game, and then to turn around four days later and play a game? Look at the injury studies. They're off the charts. Is this smart, as it pertains to guys' health and safety? No, absolutely not."

It was an absolute trainwreck watching all the players go down. I like Mike Triplett’s suggestion for fixing the NFL’s schedule.

NFL reviewing behavior of New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton toward officials
"I thought the officiating was extremely poor -- inconsistent would be a great way to put it," Payton said Friday. "I thought that had a lot to do with the way this game ended. ... If two teams are out there fighting hard, but the calls, as I went through every one of 'em and the ones that weren't called, too many inconsistencies.

I don’t think Payton did anything in particular that would warrant discipline. He was legitimately pissed off, and I don’t see how anyone could blame him. The calls were very suspect, and after re-watching there were so many missed flags.

Sean Payton is secretly Dhalsim from Street Fighter.