What if I were to tell you that in a 4th quarter see-saw game between the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers that both Trevor Siemian and Tom Brady would have the ball in their hands to win the game and Siemian would be the one that comes out victorious? Either you would question the contents in my cup or figure this would be the greatest ESPN 30 for 30 ever, but that’s exactly the way Sunday’s 36-27 Saints victory went down. While the victory was massive, the toll it exacted was massive as well. Here are my biggest takeaways from Sunday’s game.
The Quarterback Whisperer
Would you believe that Coach Sean Payton has won a football game with 5 different quarterbacks in the past 3 years? There was of course Drew Brees, but also Teddy Bridgewater, Taysom Hill, Jameis Winston and now Trevor Siemian. Whether a 6th will be added to the list remains to be seen. The reason Siemian was in the game in the first place was because of the tragic injury suffered by Jameis Winston in the first quarter. Winston was confirmed to have torn his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. The Saints could look to add a veteran guy at some point or they may roll the dice with Taysom Hill and Siemian and see how the season unfolds. Regardless of which direction the Saints go in, rest assure Coach Payton will look to have that guy as prepared as possible. The proof is in the pudding.
Siemian had not played in an NFL game since 2019. Suddenly, he’s thrust into the Saints biggest game of the season to date against a red hot Tampa team headed by the greatest quarterback to ever live. Siemian didn’t blow anyone away with his numbers, 16/29, 159 yards and a touchdown, but he didn’t turn the ball over and ran the offense to the best of his ability given the circumstance. He even made a couple clutch throws on the go ahead field goal drive. We don’t know if Siemian will be the guy moving forward, but whoever he is Coach Payton will put him in the best opportunity to succeed.
Turnover Machine
There hasn’t been a defense created that Tom Brady hasn’t seen in this league. The ageless wonder has long kept defensive coordinators awake at night scheming against how to stop Brady. Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has probably had his fair share of sleepless nights wondering how to stop Tom, but Brady might be having nightmares about how the Saints defense constantly forces Brady into mistakes. In the 3 regular season games that Brady has played against the Saints as member of the Buccaneers, the Saints have forced Brady into throwing 7 interceptions and fumbling twice, one of which was recovered. That’s 8 turnovers in 3 regular season games, all wins by the Saints. Brady and the Buccaneers, of course got revenge in the playoffs last season when the Saints were busy committing the turnovers and Tampa was there to take advantage. Still, Allen’s defensive scheme coupled with the Saints elite defensive talent making plays on the field has caused Brady a world of problems in these last few matchups.
Resiliency
This team not only has an edge about itself but it seems to have this unwavering ability to never fold. Whether it’s offseason issues, drama with it’s star receiver, injuries, suspensions, retirements or whatever the case, this team is sitting at 5-2 in spite of everything that has taken place. You see this same type of resiliency during games as well where win, lose, or draw the Saints never seem to just lie down. That is a reflection of their coach, the organization and the city in which they play in. They are now met with another major dilemma as they will be without their starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. Whichever route the Saints go remain to be seen, but what we do know is the Saints are not going down without a fight. Those were a few of my takeaways from the game. What stood out to you? Sound off below in the comment section and let us know.
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