Saints must limit big plays
While he was certainly happy with a fourth straight victory, which put his team in the driver's seat to win the NFC South title and at least get a first-round playoff game at home, Saints coach Sean Payton was looking for more Sunday night.
A 31-17 win over the Detroit Lions, which is still very much in the hunt for a playoff berth, would make most coaches happy. The difference to Payton was that his players continue to make the little mistakes that could wind up costing them further down the road.
On Sunday night, the laundry list was long: Some blown pass coverages on defense, the inability to get a yard on fourth down to finish off the Lions late in the game, and failing to break a big punt return had Payton thinking that the Saints (9-3) still have much work to do before the postseason begins.
The one that really resonated with Payton was his pass defense. The Saints gave up pass plays of 22 (twice), 36, 47 and 49 yards as Matthew Stafford threw for 408 yards in completing 31 of 44 passes.
"We gave up some big plays," Payton said, "some guys were uncovered. Defensively, we can play better on the back end."
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Saints must limit big plays - NFL - CBSSports.com Football
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