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The New Orleans Saints defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 30-10, on Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The win was the sixth consecutive for the Saints, their longest winning streak since they won eight consecutive games to end the 2011 season.
Here’s what we learned from Sunday’s game:

The Saints are in control of the NFC South
Officially, their lead is only a half-game but the Saints have established their supremacy in the NFC South Division. Sunday’s win allowed them to maintain their lead on the rest of their rivals and vaulted them into the second half of the season as the clear team to beat. The Panthers are a half-game back, but the Saints’ Week 3 win in Carolina gives them a leg-up in the division race.



The Saints continue to win in different ways
One week it’s the defense. The next it’s Drew Brees and the offense. This week the Saints’ special teams carried the day. Justin Hardee’s blocked punt and return for a touchdown set the tone early and ignited the sellout crowd. Historically, NFL teams rarely lose when they block a punt for a touchdown, and the Saints proved true that axiom. Winning in different ways is the sign of a complete team, and the Saints are showing they can succeed in all phases.

Drew Brees is human
His first-quarter misfire of a bomb to Ted Ginn Jr. might have been the most errant pass of Brees’ legendary Saints career. Ginn was wide open thanks to what appeared to be miscommunication in the Bucs' secondary, but Brees’ pass was uncharacteristically off target. And Brees knew it, too. He grabbed his head in disgust after the incompletion. Brees atoned with a pin-point strike to Ginn for a 36-yard TD in the third quarter that put the game away.

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