The New Orleans Saints won a football game on Monday night. Remember nothing but that, and you'll be a happier person.
The Saints couldn't get going on a rainy night in Seattle, but they did just enough -- with a pair of clutch kicks in kicker Brian Johnson's first career game -- and stack another win ahead of a massive NFC South showdown in Week 8.
Alvin Kamara did his thing, particularly in the first half, and the Saints defense shut down Geno Smith after one big play. The Seahawks QB finished 12-for-22 with 167 yards passing, and Seattle's backs ran for only 58 yards total on 23 carries.
With all that in mind, here are my top 3 takeaways from a sloppy Saints win in Seattle.
THE SAINTS' RECORD IS 4-2
There are very few positives to take away from this game ... but there is one ultimate positive: The Saints won it.
The team can worry about correcting errors later in the week. On gameday the only concern is stacking wins, and that's exactly what the Saints did. They weren't particularly sharp on offense, they turned the ball over at an inopportune moment (yes, it was a tight end. This time Adam Trautman).
But in the end, the offense did enough. Fresh-faced kicker Brian Johnson knocked it through -- something that sounds a lot simpler than it's been -- and the Saints return home with a record they'd have easily signed on for when the season started.
Can this team win in the playoffs? Likely not the way things went on Monday night. But that's an issue to worry about when it arrives. For now, it's survive and advance.
Next up: The 6-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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THE RECEIVERS NEED TO DO JAMEIS A FAVOR
Jameis Winston wasn't perfect. He missed a few throws, the most notable a ball that was left outside on a potential first-down conversion to Marquez Callaway. But largely he was solid in adverse weather conditions.
Winston finished 19-for-35 with 222 yards and a touchdown, but 128 of that went to running back Alvin Kamara. Each of Kevin White, Tre'Quan Smith and Kenny Stills had opportunities to come down with big plays in the first three quarters. None succeeded. Winston threw dimes on back-to-back plays in the third quarter, both on go routes up the right sideline. The first tipped off White's fingers. The next went off Stills' fingers. The Saints punted.
Adam Trautman was involved again with 3 catches for 34 yards, but his fumble kept the Seahawks alive and set up a game-tying field goal late in the third quarter. Things could change when Michael Thomas gets back on the field -- whenever that is -- and when the Saints get Deonte Harris and Taysom Hill back from injury. It could. It's tough to tell.
With the game hanging in the balance and a young kicker's leg potentially riding a game-winner, the Saints opted to run it on 3rd-and-10. It worked. That's the beauty of Alvin Kamara. But it's ugly offense, even if it worked. A few plays later, Tre'Quan Smith appeared confused and got called for OPI. He caught a nice ball on the next play to make up the penalty yardage. The Seahawks gifted the Saints a first down twice on the drive, and the saving grace is Marquez Callaway, who came up big inside the 10 a few plays later.
One way or another, the Saints need to find a way to get more production out of their WRs. If not, things could get more and more frustrating as teams that actually have their starting quarterback arrive on the opposing sideline.
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MARSHON HAD ROUGH MOMENTS, BUT METCALF GOT SHUT DOWN
Saints star cornerback Marshon Lattimore had three tough moments that stood out against the Seahawks and star WR DK Metcalf. But in the end, Lattimore island was a sad, lonely place.
Metcalf got the action going at full-speed, with Lattimore slipping as the pair got locked up down the sideline. He caught the ball in stride, beat Marcus Williams' shallow angle and sprinted 84 yards for a touchdown to open the scoring.
Lattimore also had a pair of penalties as he got into shoving matches with Metcalf, which totaled 30 yards. But that's all the Saints heard from Metcalf through the first three quarter. Metcalf got in on the action in the fourth quarter, but in the end his final line was: 2 catches, 96 yards.
Lattimore is a hard-nosed, fiery competitor. He gets into opponents' heads. He shuts them down. It's a fine line, though. He cost his team with those penalties, but that's the edge that helps make Lattimore the elite defender that he is.
Still, you don't want to show the mental cracks that other teams can see and try to exploit. Metcalf was physical with Lattimore during the confines of the play, and Lattimore got flagged after the whistle. If he can't stay composed in those situations, it's going to keep happening.
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