No Reggie? No Deuce? No sweat for Drew Brees, whose decisions and accuracy are turning role players into menacing threats at a crucial juncture in the season for the New Orleans Saints.

{sidebar id=9}No Reggie? No Deuce? No sweat for Drew Brees, whose decisions and accuracy are turning role players into menacing threats at a crucial juncture in the season for the New Orleans Saints.

Brees connected on 86.7 percent of his throws for 315 yards and two touchdowns, keeping the Saints' playoff hopes alive in a 31-24 triumph over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

"We're really getting the best out of ourselves right now," said Brees, who completed 26 of 30 passes to three receivers, a tight end and three running backs. "This is the time to come together."

 

With a loss severely hurting playoff hopes for either team, the game was a high-anxiety affair. Played indoors, it was no less sloppy than some of the weather-affected contests far to the north.

Fumbles by each team set up opponents' scores. Roman Harper's interception of Kurt Warner's tipped pass set up another Saints touchdown.

The victory guaranteed New Orleans (7-7) would remain no worse than one game out of the wild-card race behind Minnesota (7-6), which plays Monday night against Chicago. Arizona (6-8), meanwhile, has little hope of a postseason berth after its second loss in a row.

"It was just too many mistakes for us today," Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "I really believe that we are on the right track. We're getting players in the right situations (but) we're not making those plays. ... Maybe we could use a little more confidence."

New Orleans is increasingly confident after winning two straight without Deuce McAllister, who went out for the season in Week 3, or Reggie Bush, who missed his second game of the season with a partially torn left knee ligament.

 

 

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In recent years the Cardinals rushing attack has fallen on hard times.  For the Saints to beat the Cardinals they will need to keep the Cardinals running the ball to set up obvious passing downs so that they can rush the quarterback.  If they are able to do this, then they should be able to pull out a victory this week and keep their playoff hopes alive.

Player of the Game

{sidebar id=9}This week’s Player of the Game for the Saints could be one of many players considering that several of the team’s role players stepped up this week to help pull out a victory.  However, after much consideration, this week’s Player of the Game award goes to wide receiver David Patten.  Patten had nine catches this week for 122 yards and a touchdown. While Colston, Brees, and Stecker all could have been considered for this award this week, Patten had a career week and helped provide the Saints with the constant receiver that they needed.  His performance helped to solidify the Saints receiving core this week and take some of the pressure off the younger receivers.  Hopefully the Saints will be able to find ways to continue to get him into the offense and use him as the clutch receiver that the team has struggled to find so far this season. 

Saints vs. Arizona Game Preview

This week the Saints will be facing the Arizona Cardinals in what will be a crucial game for the team in their playoff hopes.  In order for the Saints to pull off a victory against the Cardinals they will need to build on what they did against the Falcons.  Offensively the Saints will need to establish the running game so that they can make the play action pass more effective & limit turnovers.  Also they need to make sure that they keep the Cardinals honest by occasionally trying to stretch the field.  Defensively the Saints will need to do their best to shut down the Cardinals passing attack and force them to beat them with the rush.  In recent years the Cardinals rushing attack has fallen on hard times.  For the Saints to beat the Cardinals they will need to keep the Cardinals running the ball to set up obvious passing downs so that they can rush the quarterback.  If they are able to do this, then they should be able to pull out a victory this week and keep their playoff hopes alive. 

Q & A

Q & A is the question and answer section.  If you have a question you would like answered, email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with the subject heading of Q&A and we will try to answer the question to the best of our ability.

Q – JB, I know it’s early & the season isn’t over yet, but what do you believe the Saints biggest needs are on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball? – Hank

A – While I don’t usually like to get into off-season talk too early, I will take a quick look at the Saints needs.  On offense I’d say that adding a big name tight end if available through free agency or trade would be a good addition to the team.  Right now the Saints use the tight end position, but they could get more out of it.  On defense the cornerback position across from McKenzie would be a key area to focus on also.  However, the Saints could use some depth on pretty much every position on the defensive side of the ball.  Also don’t be surprised if the Saints look to add some youth to the linebacker and defensive tackle positions also. 

Psychos View

 

 This week the Saints will be trying to continue their winning streak against the Philadelphia Eagles. In order for the Saints to win this week, they will have to continue to limit their turnovers. Offensively the Saints will need to establish the run early to slow down the pass rush of the Eagles. By doing this, Drew Brees should have the opportunity to utilize the play-action passing attack which he does so effectively. On defense the Saints will need to stack 8 on the line of scrimmage to limit the damage that the Eagles rushing attack can do. Not only will keeping 8 on the line slow down the Eagles rushing attack, but it should also help the defense keep the pressure on the Eagles quarterback. If the Saints can keep pressure on McNabb, who has been hampered by injuries yet again this season, then it should help limit his effectiveness on stretching the field. If the Saints can force the Eagles to try and beat them through the air, then they should drastically improve their chances of pulling out a victory this week.

This week’s Player of the Game for the Saints is quarterback Drew Brees. While Brees has had more impressive games than his 315 yard passing performance this week which resulted in 2 touchdowns with 26 completions on 30 attempts, he once again stepped up to the challenge of having his top two running backs out, but still being able to help jumpstart the offense. Brees seemed to help inspire and excite the offense as the Saints found ways all day to move up and down the field and put up 31 points. Overall the Saints offense could have done a little more, but they got the job done & that’s all you can ask. Hopefully the Saints will be able to continue to build on the strong weekly performances of Drew Brees as they attempt to try and keep themselves in the playoff picture. Congratulations to Brees for the award this week on another strong performance by the veteran quarterback. 

This week the Saints will be trying to continue their winning streak against the Philadelphia Eagles. In order for the Saints to win this week, they will have to continue to limit their turnovers. Offensively the Saints will need to establish the run early to slow down the pass rush of the Eagles. By doing this, Drew Brees should have the opportunity to utilize the play-action passing attack which he does so effectively. On defense the Saints will need to stack 8 on the line of scrimmage to limit the damage that the Eagles rushing attack can do. Not only will keeping 8 on the line slow down the Eagles rushing attack, but it should also help the defense keep the pressure on the Eagles quarterback. If the Saints can keep pressure on McNabb, who has been hampered by injuries yet again this season, then it should help limit his effectiveness on stretching the field. If the Saints can force the Eagles to try and beat them through the air, then they should drastically improve their chances of pulling out a victory this week. 

 

Q & A is the question and answer section. If you have a question you would like answered, email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with the subject heading of Q&A and we will try to answer the question to the best of our ability.

Q – JB, with all the injuries to the Saints this year, I am worried about the Saints backup quarterback position. Do you think this is a need that needs to be addressed in the off-season? Thanks and keep up the great work! – Steven

A – Well Steven, to be honest I do believe the Saints need to address the backup position. They have been keeping an eye out for a young quarterback to develop into a backup for Brees. However, I believe the Saints should continue this look during the coming draft because as any football fan will tell you, there is no such thing as too much talent at any given position.

 

During this up and down season the Saints & their fans have been on a rollercoaster ride. However, as the season winds to an end and the Saints continue to fight for a playoff spot, the team now only has possibly two games remaining to answer any player related personnel questions. As the Saints make their stretch run, they will find out a lot about their players and possibly answer some questions about what this team needs to add in the off-season. However, hopefully with some strong play and a little bit of luck, the Saints will be able to add at least one or two additional games to their schedule this year and give a bit more excitement to Saints fans.