First things first: The Saints' losing streak is over ... everyone can exhale.
Taysom Hill's finger injury looked like a problem in the first half, but he settled in and the Saints (6-7) took care of business against the Jets (3-10) to right the ship for at least one week and remain in the thick of the playoff race.
Oh, and Alvin Kamara did all the Alvin Kamara things you could've asked for.
With all that in mind, here are my three quick takeaways from the Saints' 30-9 win over the Jets that ended the skid, and keeps the Saints right in the thick of the playoff hunt.
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1. IT WAS UGLY, AND THAT'S OK
Let's start out with this: If you went into that game thinking it would look pretty, it's because you weren't paying attention.
Absolutely nothing about a quarterback playing through a significant hand injury should've inspired confidence. Taysom Hill is a warrior. He's choosing to play through it. He wants to play through it. No one would've faulted him for bowing out, getting surgery, and wishing his teammates the best of luck.
He didn't. He committed to playing with a brace on his right middle finger. He committed to whatever that looked like. Whatever he says, he knew there would be ugly moments. That was the case in the first half, notably the throws that came after taking a big hit and appearing to be fiddling with the contraption that's holding his finger in place.
In the end, Hill's passing stats were respectable -- and the rushing ability was never in question. He ended the day 15-for-21 passing for 175 yards, but more importantly no interceptions. He added 73 yards with his legs on 10 carries, including a pair of touchdowns in the 4th quarter that clinched the win.
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It was ugly. And that's OK. Winning ugly is still winning, and that's clearly the way they'll have to win games the rest of this season. Playing in the cold is already a tough scenario for exposed hands, but Hill came out after halftime and looked sharp. The ball spun. He led a drive from the shadow of his own goalposts deep into Jets territory. It ended with a field goal. It didn't always look pretty. But Taysom got the finger to work. He got the offense to work. Alvin Kamara got all the work he could handle. The Saints won.
It was ugly, and that's OK. Strap in. It's going to be a wild ride.
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2. BEND BUT DON'T BREAK
The Saints defense didn't force any game-changing turnovers. The special teams group didn't score. The pass rush didn't have Zach Wilson running for his life all day (although they did a few times).
So, what did they do?
They played solid, competitive, consistent, composed football. And that's no small feat. They went into this game undermanned, as they have all season, and without defensive leader Cam Jordan for the first time in more than a decade. They tackled well. They covered well. When the Jets got into field goal range, they consistently clamped down.
Carl Granderson came in for a big sack to end a Jets drive late in the third quarter, a key player stepping up in Jordan's absence.
Even without a turnover, they limited Zach Wilson to 202 yards passing (19-42). Jets running backs were limited to 45 yards on the ground.
Just as importantly: All the FG attempts went in. Brett Maher hit all three of his field goal attempts and all three PATs. None were impressive so far as distance is concerned, but anyone who's watched the Saints' kicking game this year could tell you simply making them at all is an improvement, regardless of where they're lined up.
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When you put up the points that appear guaranteed, and minimize opposing drives to 3 instead of 7, the chances to win a game improve drastically. Even with an offense that was clearly limited and focused on the run, it was a clean, convincing victory.
The defense needs to force more turnovers to help secure victories in the more difficult matchups to come. They need to be more opportunistic and set up the offense in plus situations. But, for now, the positives outnumber the negatives. The defense did its job. The losing streak is over. Now the job is to begin a winning streak.
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3. ALVIN KAMARA IS THE OFFENSE
Earlier in the season and prior to his four-game absence, I'd have argued that overloading Alvin Kamara the way the Saints did in Week 14 is a bad idea. It would've been missing the big picture.
For the Saints to be competitive in the playoffs, they'll need AK at 100 percent. Well, that was a season-shifting 5-game losing streak ago. Thoughts of workload management disappear. It could set up difficulties should AK suffer another injury. But what's become clear: The star back is the engine that makes this Saints offense go.
Could the Saints get more consistent QB play? Sure. Could the Saints pass-catchers better assert themselves? Undoubtedly. But those are question marks for a reason. You know exactly what you're getting with AK. And that's what happened at a chilly MetLife Stadium.
Kamara looked fresh. He looked strong. He looked like someone who had been raring to go (he made a pitch to play a week earlier). Despite entering the game on a reported "pitch count," that seemed to go out the window very early on. He finished the game with 120 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.
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It's the first time in his career he's had multiple 100-yard rushing games in his career.
For the Saints to make a realistic push at the playoffs, Kamara will need to put the team on his back. He did that against the Jets. Can he keep doing it?