Halo

Malcolm Jenkins saved Sean Payton from himself Sunday evening at Cowboys Stadium.

Payton succumbed to an old, bad habit, trying to force feed a rusty Reggie Bush into the plan when he had no business being on the field. The result could have been catastrophic for the Saints’ hopes of repeating as Super Bowl champions, winning the NFC South and even making the playoffs in the crowded NFC picture.

That’s where Jenkins stepped in. With New Orleans on the verge of blowing a game it led 17-0, he tracked down Dallas wide receiver Roy Williams as he was streaking for what would have been the clinching touchdown, ripped the ball away from him at the 11 and gave the Saints new life in the final minutes.

Drew Brees responded by leading an 89-yard touchdown drive as the Saints won 30-27 in a game they never would have been in position to lose without a pitiful performance from Bush.

Bush, coming off an eight-game layoff due to a broken fibula, was not ready to return in a meaningful contest. That fact should have been clear on his first snap, when he entered on third-and-5 at the New Orleans 26 and never looked for the ball when Brees threw a pass to him in the flat early in the second quarter. It bounced off his helmet, the Saints punted after scoring on their first three possessions and they began to lose control against the Cowboys.

Bush accelerated that process rapidly.

With the Saints leading 20-13 in the third quarter, he ran a delay route and was wide open in the middle of the field on third down from the Dallas 10. Brees hit him in the hands with no one in between him and the goal line.

Drop.

New Orleans settled for a field goal that made the score 23-13.

When the Saints stopped the Cowboys on their next possession, Payton decided to let Bush return his first punt since the injury. Bush did what he does more often than anything else – retreat. There’s a reason he finished second-to-last in the NFL in punt returns last season.

Then he did that other thing that happens too often – fumble.



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