The First True MUST WIN Game
 

First in division and neck and neck with both the Falcons and Panthers

Tampa is in the basement and heading into the Dome with their backs against the wall and 3 games back already.

Bang the Bucs and drop them back to 4 games and get a 2-0 division record is huge. Bucs will not climb out of this hole. Expect them to play all out. They know the season is on the line Sunday.

Falcons square off at the Kitties Litter Box in their first division game so this a no loss game for the saints. Some one will take 2nd place and set up the the final months for the division title run with the saints.

Putting the Falclowns a full game back is huge having stole a road win against the Kitties already. That means our destiny is in our own hands. If the kitties have plans in stealing the division they will have to do it in the Dome.

Keep banging away into the month of December and prep yourself for two huge games against the falcons.

Welcome to The First True MUST WIN Game for the saints :bng:

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

And more of this from Kamara in the screen game ...

http://www.blackandgoldreview.com/wp...ierreRunTD.gif

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

wait... are we discussing Home field advantage for a run at the SB???

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

We should be discussing both of those topics every season, yes?

Fortunately after 7 games this season, it isn't idle chit chat.

BTW Hagan, I believe the game against the KittyKats in September was the first true MUST WIN game. An 0-3 start chasing a then undefeated Panthers would have been devastating to the season.

Every division game is critical of course. But if the Saints are going to make a deep playoff run, then they need to continue to develop the cold blooded skill of putting wounded teams down.

SFIAH

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Boy things have sure changed around here in the last few weeks.
Some here were getting ready to walk the plank, now were all up
drinking rum with the Captain.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Now comes one of the real tests for our boy Marshon. We needed a true #1 CB for two reasons: Julio Jones and Mike Evans.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

You have to beat everyone to be the best.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Man, how I miss PT...

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

I guess I better put away my list of prospective coaches and draft picks away for a while.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

The Kool Aid is flowing freely in here......

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Must win?

So if we lose its over?

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Watch Jahri in this play... he was a road grader in his prime! Absolutely destroying those dudes...

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Glass is sitting on the table and will not be touch til Dec 3

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

No it is not over

It is the first real step in taking control of our own destiny towards winning the NFC South.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Every game is a must win.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

I don't think it is a must win. It isn't a play off game or a game to get us in just yet.

What I am excited about is that the games are much more exciting. Instead of watching our O score and then smh because then our D comes back onto the field to give up a TD.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

At least take a sip ;). There are four games in between now and Dec 3rd.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

I think Chicago was the trap game and they survived. Now turning the ball over and only converting 2/9 3rd downs is not going to get it done against a better team. We have been fortunate in the last 2 wins, not being penalized for the mistakes, wouldn't want to keep relying on that. On the extremely positive side, this team has not played their best ball yet and are in good position.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

I'm going to give some credit to the biggest influence for winning........lady luck. We are healthy(lucky) while getting the ball bouncing our way and the calls from the referees which all factor into winning.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Lady Luck + Karma + Voodoo + Marie Laveau + Minimal Injuries
We had it all back in that fateful game against the Colts.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

I would prefer Carolina beats Atlanta Sunday, even though they are closer to the Saints than Atlanta is.

That is because Atlanta plays the Cowboys at home the following weekend... and Dallas will apparently be without its chief weapon, Ezekiel Elliott. Without Zeke, I don't have much hope for a Cowboys victory over Atlanta.

The Saints play at Buffalo that same weekend... and that is going to be a tough one for our boys to win.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

I think Dallas will be just find without Elliot, and particularly against Atlanta, but I'm probably in the minority.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Saints favored by 7, which is less than last week. A little surprising.

today's fun fact: last week's 8 point win margin was the smallest all season long, win or lose.
I guess it only seems like every game is close

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Carolina has not really had offensive problems in the dome. We better not go into that game limping.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

I am not worried about Philadelphia getting to a sb. Wentz has no playoff experience.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Was that the game the starters rested?

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Look at what we have after that?

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Atlanta almost lost to the jets. They find ways to lose to average teams when things don't go their way. They could lose to Darren McFadden, because he ran wild on them two years ago.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Again... WTF?

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

C'mon Dude.
It's so obvious.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Buffalo
Washington
LA
Carolina(who has responded everytime to something we do, there's also a trend I noticed)

We lose to TB and we don't beat a tough Washington team, we could indeed be a looking at a losing run.

I don't have us beating bills. That game looks brutal.

The Buffalo game has what it takes to be what Houston and Detroit did to us the last three years. I could even see Buffalo getting a defensive TD. They can stop the run too so guess what? It's up to the defense? I feel Brees is just going to have very bad game here.

Washington...how does Brees respond after that game? Let's not forget about the elephant in the room....Gallette. Thomas isn't breaking free from tougher defenses this year and that one has Josh Norman, as well as a solid number two corner. That's also a game where I feel the offense is gonna need to score 30 points to win. This will be the game imo that decides what we are.

LA.....their offense is not that scary, but it's in LA. The bigger problem is Donald. Washington dictates this game because we have not won a road game in the Payton/Brees era against a swing opponent without a home game.

Carolina....again, they always respond after one game. There's a interesting pattern. 2014 was a blowout in each other's places; 2015 had Carolina winning two close games; Carolina scored better in NO; 2016 had two more close wins, but at home. It was higher scoring in NO by both teams. Well, we just went into Carolina and blew them out, where they have actually played worse offensively than in our place. Nobody looks at that, however, and that's dangerous. Cam's gotten by a lot of defenses in our league. We will see, but the history with Cam says enough. It has either been close games by both(final score at least) or each swapping routs. And we just did the first route, so...

I think we can win the next three games after that but if we split with both TB and Carolina and we don't beat Washington we are looking at 9-7 and depending what happens with Minnesota and Green Bay in the north(because Rodgers is not out for the season), that could knock us out.

I'm not drinking the kool-aid yet because the offense looks ugly the last three weeks(including the second half vs lions) and I cannot imagine the defense keeping up with QBs that can take advantage off opportunities. This defense has not played a Cousins, Goff, or Newton yet without the offense of ours doing anything(our O showed up opposite Newton; if it didn't, think he would have quit?).

Winning overlooks a lot of flaws I see watching the games, and I have been watching. Brees is OFF(throwing short passes for no gain just to avoid sacks as opposed to just throwing it away) and SP has given him often one chance to convert for each first down. The oline also is shaky. Remember what I said that this team maybe had to be a top ten defense to win. It's actually looking like that because this offense is just a bit too one note lately.

Lose to the bucs and run the risk of turning 5-2 into 5-6. We will see. the next few weeks will interesting.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

FYI - I'm watching this supposedly invincible Bills team getting rolled over on TNF by a Jets team that ain't much to brag about.

The Bills defensive backfield looks like it's getting ripped and beat down week after week.

What's worse is the Jets are running all over them.
I'm liking our chances in that game more and more after watching TNF tonight.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

WTHF? Just like mud made by ADD children...

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

I wish Winston was a full health for this game. Win or lose, it would have given us a real gauge of how good we really are. A win is a win but our last two were a lot more difficult than it should have been. There isn't a team left on our schedule that we can afford to overlook.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Saints are a good team for 2017. They can only control what they can control. Just wait until they hit on all cylinders & play a complete (offense/defense/special teams) game.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Lattimore vs Evans will be very interesting

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

I wouldn't be surprised to see Crawley on Mike. Ken was giving Benjamin (similar size as Evans) the business before he was injured in that game earlier this year. From what I've seen so far this year from Evans is that once you put your hands on him and get physical with him, he's done.

Re: The First True MUST WIN Game
 

Marshon Lattimore and Ken Crawley Vs DeSean Jackson and Mike Evans is one thing

But Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard are another