Tight end Jimmy Graham, his shoulder aching after playing 30 snaps with an injury, watched the clock hit zero on the loss.

It was at that moment that Graham had to wonder: How much more can a team give?

"If you look back to last week, at Detroit, we did everything possible in practice, telling guys what they needed to do, really challenging guys," Graham said. "To lose like that, was tough, because you think, 'Well, what else can I give? I feel like I prepared the way I should have.'"

Saints coach Sean Payton didn't verbally call out the leaders of this team last week. Instead Payton gave them a message: If you could find it to give a little more, you might hit your goal.

The team was devastated from the loss to the Lions after blowing a 13-point lead. Brees told NBC's Bob Costas that it "was one of the five worst feeling's (he's) had after a football game."

They picked themselves back up and moved on.

But perhaps more than any point this season, the Saints needed a statement win.

"And so we did the same thing this week, and Sean told us, you've just got to keep hitting away at the stone, and something's going to chip," Graham said.