Since 2009 “Glee” has been a TV show.
Prior to that “glee” was what NFL teams felt when they heard the sentence, “next week the New Orleans Saints come to town.”
But, in the last two years the Saints have become a formidable road team, no longer an easy win.
There is however, a consistent formula that gives the Saints fits no matter where they play, and the hosting Baltimore Ravens used it to perfection Sunday, ground chucking the Saints into submission, 30 – 24. Ray Rice was the principal grinder.
Although the Saints were in their usual position, with a chance for a miracle drive at the end, the Ravens were having none of it, and their interception of a Brees 4th down pass deep in Raven’s territory sealed the deal. The Ravens, much like the Falcons earlier this year, pounded the Saints on the ground and controlled the clock. The Saints never got the tempo going that they’ve displayed throughout their 6 game winning streak. Pierre Thomas never got the Saints running game going, and “Run-around” Reggie Bush continued to be ineffective unless he gets the ball downfield.
It didn’t take a schedule savant to see how important this game was going to be for the Saints. In their matchup with the AFC North, they beat the Steelers at home, and the Steelers were unkind hosts to the Falcons. Check. The Falcons handled the Ravens at home, but the Saints had to go to Baltimore in December, and it was easy to see that it would be a monster game for both teams. The Ravens were up to the challenge. The Saints weren’t.
The long-awaited rematch with the Falcons next week is now anticlimactic as the Falcons took care of business against the Seahawks. Relegated to wild card status, don’t look for Sean Payton to show much in Atlanta next week, as he knows the road to the Super Bowl now probably goes through the Georgia Dome, and if the Saints are fortunate enough to return in a playoff game, they’ll have to bring a formula for stopping a running game. That seems to be a task for which the Saint's linebackers are over-matched.
It’s a dangerous road, as a loss to Atlanta could elevate the importance of the closing game against Tampa Bay. In a late-year game against the Bucs last year, the Saints laid a second-half egg.
The Saints hope it doesn’t come to that.
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