Saints Report #15 - December 23, 2012

The Saints went to Dallas for what may have been the Sean Payton bowl, and upended the Cowboys and their playoff hopes in overtime, 34-31.  The Saints and Drew Brees put together one long drive after another as they piled up yardage and time of possession, only to see Tony Romo and Dez Bryant burn the Saints with long passes keeping the game close. 

Unbelievably the Saints squandered a 2 touchdown 4^th quarter lead as Romo lead the Cowboys to 2 touchdowns in the last 5 minutes.  However, the Saints held in overtime, and Brees led another methodical drive that was capped by a bizarre play on which Marques Colston fumbled after a nice catch, and Jimmy Graham made a game winning recovery on the Cowboy’s 2 yard line.  Garrett Hartley, who had missed a short field goal early in the game, nailed what amounted to an extra point, and the Saints taketh away after they giveth. 

Drew Brees passed for over 400 yards, and the Saints also ran the ball well.  Let’s state the obvious.  Mark Ingram continues to improve and is making an impact.  No one can cover Darren Sproles.  But it’s Pierre Thomas who has been the Saints most consistent player all year.  Brees may have gone over 500 yards if the receivers hadn’t had the dropsies.  The Saints have been as unpredictable as “Homeland” all year, and if Sean Payton returns, and brings a bucket of consistency, next year could actually be fun.