First off, the good news: The Saints are as hot as anyone in the NFL, winners of 3 straight after a 20-10 victory over the NFC-best Philadelphia Eagles.
The bad news: The Bucs are in the process of making sure those postseason hopes fizzle regardless, engineering yet another comeback against the Panthers. Still, finishing strong is finishing strong, and the positive are still clear.
With all that in mind, here are my three quick takeaways from another hard-fought victory in Week 17.
THIS ISN'T A TEAM YOU BLOW UP.
I get it. This has been a season of frustration for Saints fans. It's been a season of frustration at a lot of levels. But this isn't a sky is falling group, it's a very, very close to where it needs to be, group.
You saw that in this game, with the Saints hitting the road against the NFC's best team that had every reason to bring out their A game. Sure, Gardner Minshew was in the place of Jalen Hurts. But that's the same guy who led this Eagles offense to 34 points against a very good Cowboys team. The Saints defense showed up and played its best game of the season when it was needed.
The Saints' offense also did its thing. Rashid Shaheed continued to impress. Chris Olave was smooth as ever. Juwan Johnson made his impact. Taysom Hill scored a touchdown. Alvin Kamara got in on the action. They even ran a screen!
At the end of the day, you're not looking for excuses to tear things down. In fact, it's the opposite. You're looking for signs of positivity. You're looking for the reasons that make you think "you know what, I can see the vision for this thing."
One of those signs is a team that doesn't quit despite every reason to. A team that finds a way to produce despite a patchwork OL that's playing 3 backups and a receiving corps of rookies and UDFAs.
Go on Twitter rants and sign petitions all you want, this team is showing the signs that the front office will be looking for.
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PAULSON TO THE SLOT
With Marshon Lattimore back, it was Paulson Adebo that drew the start across from him. And I understand it. Adebo is the CB2. He put on a show in camp and he's been nothing if not solid this season.
All that said. Alontae Taylor has been better. He might not be the surest of tacklers in the world, but he doesn't get rattled in big moments. I'm not sure I can say the same about Adebo. He's the guy who got burned by Cordarrelle Patterson for a backbreaking play last season in a loss that ultimately kept the Saints out of the postseason. He got burned by Mike Evans for a long DPI penalty that helped the Bucs hand the Saints a loss in a game they should've won, and potentially kept them out of the postseason.
Today it was A.J. Brown who victimized Adebo on a 78-yard touchdown that gave the Eagles life after they'd struggled to move the ball all day. Sure, Brown got away with some shenanigans as he appeared to sneakily grab Adebo's arm and tilt him out of bounds, but Adebo was beat either way.
It's tough to reorder the depth chart midseason, and I don't blame anyone for not doing it. But I'd really like to see Adebo shift inside to the slot, where I think his skillset and open-field ability will shine.
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BIG GAMES IN BIG MOMENTS
The Saints needed players to step up in this matchup. That's the only way you beat a team like this Eagles squad, particularly on the road. And that's what you got from some unlikely sources.
The first was Carl Granderson, who has really come into his own late in the season. He logged 1.5 sacks and was in the backfield seemingly the entire first half. Minshew looked rattled, and he was a bit part of it, just a week after finishing off a win over the Browns.
The second is only surprising if you were one of the people that didn't expect Marshon Lattimore to make it back this season, considering the limited expectations. Late in the game when the Saints desperately needed stops, he kept rising up. The Saints secondary has been good this season, but they've had a frustrating habit of folding in big moments. When Marshon is in there, things feel different.
And wouldn't you know it, when the Saints needed something to happen, it was Marshon stepping in front of a Minshew pass and trotting into the endzone for the Saints' first defensive TD of the season.
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LAGNIAPPE
Cam Jordan's 3-sack day gave him 115.5 in his career, passing Rickey Jackson (115) The Eagles finished the game with 7 sacks. That marks their fifth consecutive game with 6-plus sacks, the longest such streak in the Super Bowl era. ... Taysom Hill's rushing touchdown in the first half gave him 10 touchdowns on the season (6 rushing, 2 passing, 2 receiving). His 6 rushing TDs are the most ever for a non-QB in Saints history. ... Demario Davis finished the game with 7 tackles, giving him 101 on the season. He's the first player in Saints history to have 100-plus tackles in five consecutive seasons. ... Punter Blake Gillikin set a new career high with four punts inside the 20. ... The Saints' 15-play, 8:58 drive was the longest in terms of plays/duration in the 2022 season. ... Wil Lutz hit a 54-yard field goal in the first half. It was the first time he attempted a kick of 50-plus yards since Week 5 against the Seahawks. ... The Saints started this game by forcing four straight 3-and-outs. The Eagles first first-down came in the final minute of the first half. ... Taysom Hill's 14 carries were a career high.
