4 ups and 0 downs from the New Orleans Saints’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals

Well that one felt good, didn’t it?

It was another roller coaster of an adventure with plenty of ups and downs along the way, especially early, there were far more “Ups” than “Downs” as the game went on. Here are a couple that stood out.

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Up: Drew Brees

Drew Brees threw for as many touchdowns as he had incompletions in the game. He finished 22 of 25 for “only” 265 yards and 3 TDs. Oh yeah, and he also added another TD on the ground on fourth and goal.

What more can you say about Brees at this point? He’s on pace to shatter his previous NFL record of a single-season completion percentage, and he only has one (ONE!) interception on the year.

I get it: Patrick Mahomes is having a great season. But Drew Brees is the MVP.

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Up: Michael Thomas

One of the biggest beneficiaries of Drew’s solid game was Michael Thomas. One week after putting up a career best 211 yards, Thomas backed it up with 8 receptions for 70 yards, finding the end zone twice, including the Saints first score of the game.

Julio Jones has been given a lot of media attention lately after he scored his second touchdown of the season. Michael Thomas, in this game, scored as many touchdowns as Julio has on the year. Michael Thomas needs to be in the conversation of the best wide receivers in the game right now.

You just can’t guard Mike.

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Up: Mark Ingram

After missing the first four games of the season due to a suspension, we’ve been waiting for THE Mark Ingram game. Well, we got it against the Bengals.

Angry Mark was running hard all game, and contributed in both the run and passing attacks for the Saints. He finished the game with over 150 total yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. And after he scored his touchdown, was the first Saints player to “throw up the X” as a tribute to the injured Dez Bryant.

If this is a sign of things to come for the Saints offense, watch out.

Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Up: Offensive Line

It’s been too long since the offensive line was given proper credit in the Ups and Downs series.

The Saints have faced incredibly talented and tough defensive lines the past four games with the Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, and Cincinnati Bengals. The Saints offensive line has given up one sack in all four of those games combined. This week, the Saints offensive line helped the Saints rush for almost 250 yards as a team and 3 TDs. That’s not even mentioning the work the unit put in blocking - even downfield - in the passing game. I mean, just look at this block by Andrus Peat. Andrus, that man has a family!

It hurts to see Terron Armstead get injured and leave the game, but Jermon Bushrod filled in admirably for the majority of the game.

Stay tuned for updates on Armstead as information is released by the team.