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Trap game (n.) — Sporting event in which lesser opponent (St. Louis Rams) is sandwiched between two important games (Saints will play Carolina twice in three-week span) and favored team loses, caught “looking ahead” to bigger matchup.

Sunday’s game is, by definition, this type of game.

Sunday’s outcome, though, should defy the dictionary and sports superstitions, thanks Drew Brees’ not-so-fun road trip memories at Edward Jones Dome.

Less than two seasons have passed since Brees and the 2011 Saints left St. Louis with a 31-21 loss, giving the previously winless Rams their first win in seven tries.

“They beat the breaks off of us, and we were a 13-3 team,” Brees said of the Rams after the Saints beat Carolina 31-13 Sunday night, the first of two NFC South showdowns against the Panthers.

Against the Rams, Brees passed for 269 yards —his second-lowest passing yardage of 2011 — with one touchdown and two interceptions. He was sacked six times.

“So we understand the challenge of going up there,” Brees said. “We know the way they probably view us; we’ve had difficulty playing well there. We’re going to need our best preparation and our best performance to win up there. And that’s what we want to do. We want to keep this thing rolling.”

Read more: Recent road troubles have Saints on alert | Saints | The Advocate — Baton Rouge, LA

TheOak

Everyone is harping on road wins... We are 10th in the league in that category, and only 2 less than the best, 1 behind the panthers and Broncos. No one is saying that crap about the Patriots who we are tied with.

SmashMouth

Perception will change over time...

TheOak

I'm not so sure its perception. I am of the mind it is more long the lines of "we have to find some sort of weakness to talk about".

Choupique

home field advantage does exist.

i'm not too sure that applies to the goats, however.

they're turnout can't be record breaking.

ScottF

we lost to two good teams, and the Jets
3-3 is respectable, especially considering we gave away two of those games

Choupique

i'm a firm believer... any team can win on any given sunday.

the goats won't be led to slaughter, but they'll be butchered nonetheless.

saints will demolish what is left of that team.

ken72864

The Saints need to purchase some large refrigeration units & put them on top of their indoor practice facility. After November they should practice twice a week in 20 degree weather.

SaintsBro

The Saints score 10 points fewer average PPG on the road this year. That is not perception, that's the reality. Until they prove they can beat a quality opponent on the road, that's the truth. Their impressive road record stat that Brees and Payton like to throw out there, is impressive but it's padded with warm weather games and inferior teams, and stuff from a long long time ago now. This year, they are middle of the pack (.500) on the road, and there are many teams in the playoff hunt with better road records than the Saints this year. .500 on the road is nothing special to boast about.

Rugby Saint II

Apparently we need the Dome to motivate us.