It was a weird game in a weird season. COVID protocols wiped out the New Orleans Saints running backs, leaving them with just Ty Montgomery, who had been playing wide receiver, and Tony Jones Jr., who had been on the practice squad and had never taken an NFL snap.
That didn't stop the Saints from dominating the Carolina Panthers in a 33-7 win.
“It gives you the confidence to know that whatever situation arises, we're going to have a well-thought out game plan to rectify that situation,” WWL's Steve Korte said. “I think you saw that first and foremost yesterday. I just love that Sean is as creative as he is and goes in there, and we didn't really miss a beat.”
Despite missing its top three running backs, the Saints still had their sixth-highest rushing total of the season with 156 yards. Meanwhile, Drew Brees wasn't asked to do a ton, but he was efficient with the workload he had. He only had 201 yards passing, his third-lowest total of the year. However, he had 3 touchdowns, which gave him a solid 116.8 passer rating.
“It wasn't a thing of beauty where he had to throw for 300 yards or anything like that, but he certainly didn't really make any mistakes,” Korte said. “It looks to me like rebounding back into the form we all have witnessed the past several years, and it looks to me like he's back on track and right at the perfect time.
“I think we're hitting this at a pretty good time for us, but anything can happen,” Korte continued. “Look, any kind of home field advantage, if you were to play in Chicago or Green Bay where the weather may be some sort of factor, I just don't see any kind of home field advantage. You really are finding out the football teams that are out there ready to go.”
The Saints host the Chicago Bears at 3:40pm on Sunday.
