Is this the year the New Orleans Saints get back to the post season?
Well, they’re undefeated through six games. So, it looks like they’ll make it there.
For the past two seasons, head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees have created one of the league’s most dominant passing attacks.
But the two things have kept the Saints from getting back to the post season have been the lack of a consistent run game and a non-existent defense.
This season their run game has gained consistency with a platoon comprised of Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, and Mike Bell. The Saints have the third best rushing offense in the NFL, averaging about 155 yards per game.
And a good run game always helps give stability to any passing game, especially one as prolific as the Saints’, which ranks sixth in the league.
But to go far, every team needs a good defense to go with an already great offense. The Saints now have that thanks to the additions of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and safety Darren Sharper.
Williams has helped bring their defense into the upper half of the league, 11th overall, which wasn’t even a realistic thought the past two seasons.
Sharper, who leads the NFL with six interceptions, is putting fear into the eyes of every passer who looks his way. Why? Well three of the six passes he’s picked off have been returned for touchdowns.
So, maybe this is the year the Saints make a deep run in the playoffs. Or dare I say, make it to the Super Bowl?
Winners
Most Valuable Player: Cedric Benson
What else can you say? 189 yards on 37 carries and a touchdown against his former team the Chicago Bears. Benson is now the NFL’s leading rusher and is making the Cincinnati Bengals a balanced offense, something they haven’t really had since 2005.
Best Quarterback: Carson Palmer
Another Bengal but it was too hard to overlook Palmer’s performance. He was 20-of-24 for 233 yards and five touchdowns. Anytime you hurl into the endzone five times, you had a great week.
Best Receiver: Miles Austin
Austin is becoming quite a play maker for the Dallas Cowboys’ offense. He burned the Atlanta Falcons’ defense by catching six passes for 171 yards and two scores.
Best Defense: Pittsburgh Steelers
Whenever a defense holds Adrian Peterson to just 69 yards and prevents Brett Favre from creating fourth quarter magic, they’ve earned the honor for best defense of the week. Pittsburgh’s defense also forced two turnovers in the fourth quarter, both of which were returned for touchdowns.
Best Rookie: Shonn Greene
The New York Jets’ rookie running back took it to Oakland by rushing for 144 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. They’re going to need him to step up with Leon Washington out for the season.
Best Game of the Week: Minnesota Vikings @ Pittsburgh Steelers
In a week full of lopsided games, this one was probably the most compelling. The game was close all day. In the fourth quarter, Brett Favre fumbled the ball in the redzone, which LaMarr Woodley returned 77 yards for a touchdown that gave the Steelers a 20-10 lead. Percy Harvin put Minnesota back into the game with an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, making it only 20-17. As Minnesota was threatening to score in the redzone, Favre was picked off by Keyaron Fox, who returned the interception 82 yards for a touchdown, sealing the 27-17 win.
Losers
Least Valuable Player: Derek Anderson
Anderson continues to struggle and threw for only 99 yards on 12-29 passing and one interception. The Cleveland Browns are not going to be competitive in any games with him doing that.
Worst Running Back: Frank Gore
The Houston Texans held Gore in check last Sunday, holding him to just 32 yards on 12 carries. In fact, his longest run from scrimmage was nine yards.
Worst Receiver: Hines Ward
Ward was not his usual consistent self, catching only one ball for three yards.
Worst Defense: Chicago Bears
Chicago gave up 448 total yards and let Cincinnati scorch them for six total touchdowns (one rushing, five passing). Not a good day when you lose 45-10 to a team many felt you were on par with. I guess they’re not.
Worst Rookie: Darrius Heyward-Bey
It seems like when figuring out who’s the worst rookie every week, go with Heyward-Bey. He had a career day catching 2 passes for 28 yards. Why did Al Davis pick him with Michael Crabtree still on the board? Oh yeah. He’s Al Davis.
Worst Game of the Week: New York Jets @ Oakland Raiders
Hey, Oakland finally benched JaMarcus Russell and Mark Sanchez finally got back on-track for the Jets and ate a hot dog while on the side lines. Other than that, there was nothing special about this 38-0 route.
