Saints roll west for true test
NEW ORLEANS — Drew Brees takes pride in spreading the wealth to the impressive array of weapons that surround him on the NFL’S top-ranked offense.
This does not leave much for the punter, Thomas Morstead.
“I always tell Morstead, ‘Lots of kickoffs, not a lot of punts,’ ” the sharpshooting quarterback said after an explosive 45-28 victory at Mercedes-benz Superdome on Saturday night propelled the New Orleans Saints into the second round of the NFC playoffs. “That’s the way we like it around here.”
The Saints head west for a matchup Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers — and a defense ranked fourth overall, first against the run — in an undeniable groove.
Six days after setting a singlegame franchise record with 617 yards, the Saints set an NFL postseason record with 626 yards. Brees, who set the NFL’S singleseason passing record with 5,476 yards, kept up his torrid pace by scorching the Detroit Lions for 466 (second most in playoff history) and three touchdowns. And Morstead never punted. Can they keep it going against the 49ers?
A defense that tied for the NFL lead with 38 takeaways awaits.
And the setting could compound the issue. In franchise history, New Orleans has never won a road playoff game. After averaging 41.5 points in nine home games (9-0), New Orleans must put its fast-track offense on a slippery, outdoor surface at Candlestick Park. The Saints are 3-2 outdoors, with two of the victories by five points or fewer.
“I feel like our offense and our team is built for whatever condition,” Brees said. “We play indoors here at the Superdome, and that’s what we’ve been doing as of late. But we feel like we’re the type of team that should be able to go anywhere, anytime, and play our type of football. “We’ll adjust accordingly.” New Orleans (14-3) undoubtedly made the right adjustments after two turnovers contributed to a 14-10 halftime deficit vs. Detroit. It broke open the game by scoring five TDS on its first five possessions of the second half.
The Saints rushed for 167 yards and hogged 37 minutes, 36 seconds of the clock. And they dominated with their typical aggressive mentality, evidenced by coach Sean Payton’s decision to go for it three times on fourth down (they took a knee on a final fourth down).
“We were pulling out all the stops,” Brees said. “We’re not going to apologize for that. We’re not going to pull the reins back. We’re pedal to the metal.”