New Orleans Saints

It’s over.

The Saints much-vaunted 2011-2012 season came to a shocking halt last Saturday with a dramatic 36-32 lost to the San Francisco 49ers.  Despite four first-half turnovers, the Saints, led by 465 passing yards from quarterback Drew Brees, took the lead twice with under five minutes left in the fourth quarter, only to allow the 49ers to score two late touchdowns for the victory.  Here are our picks for this week’s saints and sinners.

Saints

Darren Sproles

When Pierre Thomas left the game due to an apparent concussion after a vicious first-quarter hit, Sproles was forced into double duty.  He performed more than admirably, setting an NFL playoff record with 15 catches and compiling 119 yards.  With just over four minutes left in the fourth quarter, Sproles caught a short pass from Brees over the middle and juked and jived with way to a 44-yard touchdown reception, putting the Saints ahead for the first time in the game.

Jimmy Graham

Despite being banged up in the first quarter, Graham delivered another stud performance on Saturday, grabbing five balls for 102 yards and two touchdowns.  His 66-yard TD reception late in the fourth quarter was an epic catch and run, in which he straight-armed and scampered with his way past a horde of 49ers.

Marques Colston

Marques Colston aslo had another monster game, snagging 9 passes for 136 yards and the Saints’ first touchdown of the game.  He was clutch down the stretch, helping the Saints convert on a number of key third downs.

Drew Brees

Yes, he threw two interceptions, but Brees still deserves praise for slicing the 49ers defense up for 465 yards, despite being under pressure throughout the game.

Sinners

Malcolm Jenkins + Roman Harper

I put these two together, because they both got burned consistently by Vernon Davis, who caught 7 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns.  Neither Harper nor Jenkins could stay with Davis and they both also missed key tackles after the catch to allow Davis to pile up the yards.

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The Saints’ dramatic 36-32 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday abruptly ended a stellar season in which many prognosticated the Saints would reach the Super Bowl. Saturday’s loss was arguably one of the most dramatic playoff games in NFL history, with four lead changes in the last five minutes.  Here’s the breakdown on how the Saints various units fared.

Passing Offense: B

Drew Brees torched a much-vaunted San Francisco defense for 465 yards and four touchdown passes.  His leading receiver was running back Darren Sproles, who had a post-season record 15 catches for 119 yards and one touchdown.  Tight end Jimmy Graham contributed two touchdown catches, including a 66-yard breakaway that gave the Saints the lead with 1:30 to go.  Marques Colston snagged nine balls for 136 yards and a touchdown.

Despite the big yardage totals, the Saints had some issues in the air.  Brees was intercepted twice, sacked three times and hurried often.  The Saints offensive line had problems containing an aggressive San Francisco defensive line.

Rushing Offense: D

The Saints recorded their worst game rushing of the entire season on Saturday, gaining only 37 yards on 14 carries.  Three early turnovers, in addition to Pierre Thomas being injured on a helmet-to-helmet hit early in the first quarter, made it tough for the Saints to establish momentum on the ground.  The 49ers ferocious running defense, led by linebacker  Patrick Willis, allowed little yardage when the Saints did run.  The Saints largest rushing play from scrimmage was only 7 yards.

Saints Rushing Defense: C-

The 49ers rushing attack, lead by running backs Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter, came into Saturday’s game ranked number 8 in the NFL in rushing yardage, averaging over 127 yards per game.

On Saturday, they bested that number, picking up 143 yards on 22 carries.  All-pro running back Frank Gore led the way, bruising the Saints defense for 89 yards on 13 carries, including a 42-yard run.  However, the Saints biggest failure defending the run game came not against Gore, but on quarterback Alex Smith’s 28-yard QB keeper that gave the 49ers the lead in the 4th quarter.

Saints Passing Defense: C-

The weakest element on San Francisco’s attack this year has been their passing game. While quarterback Alex Smith has had the best year of his career, his role has been mostly as a game manager and he had only thrown 17 touchdown passes all year.

On Saturday, the Saints defense frustrated Smith for most of the game, applying constant pressure and sacking him four times.  However, they were unable to cover 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, who torched the secondary for 180 yards on seven catches and two touchdowns (including the game winning score).

After Jimmy Graham’s touchdown and the subsequent two-point conversion put the Saints ahead by three with 1:27 left, the 49ers marched down the field and scored.  The key play, a 41-yard pass to Vernon Davis, exploited the Saints aggressiveness and inability to cover one-on-one deep in the secondary.

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Though they’re somewhat overlooked due to the record-breaking seasons both the Saints and Packers offense have produced, the Lions feature one of the more explosive attacks in the NFL.  Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for over 5,000 yards this year, many of them to his favorite target Calvin Johnson.  The Saints defense has been hot and cold all year; they’ll need to bring their A game to keep this high-octane Lions offense in check.

Lions Passing Offense

Now in his third year in the NFL, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford recorded a stellar season this year, throwing for 5,038 yards and 41 touchdowns and leading his squad to their first playoff appearance in over a decade.

His favorite target, Calvin Johnson, caught 96 balls for 1681 yards and 17 touchdowns, establishing himself as one of, if not, the premier wide receiver in the league.  Johnson is not only a deep threat due to his speed, but also has a freakish leaping ability that makes him especially dangerous on fade routes in the red zone.

Stafford’s other primary weapons are wide receiver Nate Burleson and tight end Brandon, Pettigrew, who caught 76 and 83 balls respectively.  Look for Detroit to throw early and often and to not shy away from going deep and giving their crew of talented receivers a chance to make a big play.

For the Saints, the pressure will fall on a secondary that has been lukewarm throughout the year.  Free safety Malcolm Jenkins will have his hands full in deep coverage. Cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Patrick Robinson will need to not only play the ball well, but prevent the Lions receivers from breaking long runs after the catch.

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Every Monday, I walk from my apartment toward the Burger King that sits on the corner of St. Charles and Euterpe.  On my way, I wave to the homeless woman who lives on a plaid lawn chair on the corner and a giant light-brown doberman that slams his entire body against the fence and snarls at me every time I pass.

Then, before I catch the streetcar, I buy a copy of the Times-Picayune, where I read about the lastest exploits of the Saints:  the record-breaking statistics, the video game-like ease with which they carve up defenses, the inevitable late-January showdown with the Packers in Green Bay.

Afterwards, as the streetcar chugs its way toward the CBD, I muse on some of the more philosophical questions that surround the team.

If Jimmy Graham was to lose half of his left-arm in a tragic motorcycle accident, could he still compete as an NFL tight end with one giant arm and its corresponding nub?

If Darren Sproles was stranded in the middle of an African savannah, coated in prime rib juice and surrounded by lions and tigers, would he be able to juke his way out?

Does the awe-inspiring, out-of-this-world ability of Drew Brees to play the quarterback position in the NFL partially stem from some sort of superhuman serum that is secreted through his birthmark.

For the record, I’m still deliberating on this question, but it appears other people aren’t.

Enter the WhoDatMark, a temporary tattoo that resembles Brees’s birthmark and is being hawked in mass by a local company made up of a few rabid Saints fans who have taken Brees worshiping to a new level.

The tattoo, which comes in black and gold, is being sold at local sporting good stores and is showing up on a wide variety of people, including yours truly, at the dome.

Not only does it get your closer to God Drew, but 9 cents from each tattoo sold is apparently donated to Brees’s charity.

I find it often hard to explain to people outside of New Orleans the level of fanaticism that exists for the Saints, but the fact that seemingly normal people plaster a replica of a fuzzy, brown facial birthmark on their cheeks each Sunday in solidarity with their quarterback is probably the best way to accurately qualify the essence of Brees’s impact on New Orleans.

At least those were my thoughts this Monday, as I rode to my office in a meditative silence,  begrudgingly rubbing the last few bits of remaining temporary tattoo off my cheek, feeling suddenly mortal once again.