The Saints 45-17 smashing of the Carolina Panthers on Sunday was the perfect exclamation point to a season in which Drew Brees and company have unleashed an offensive attack on par with any NFL team in history.
After trading touchdowns early, the Saints pulled away from the Panthers in the second half, scoring 21 unanswered points. Here’s the lowdown on how the various Saints units fared.
Saints Passing Offense: A+
Amidst speculation that the Saints might rest starters, including quarterback Drew Brees, the Saints unloaded on the the Panthers for over 400 yards in the air.
In slightly over three quarters of work, Brees threw for 389 yards and five touchdown passes, padding his NFL record for season passing yards. His top targets, as usual, were Jimmy Graham and Marques Colston.
Colston snagged seven balls from 145 yards and two touchdowns, while Graham added eight receptions for 97 yards and a score. Excluding an early interception, the Saints passing offense was flawless once again on Sunday, building tremendous momentum for the playoffs.
Rushing Offense A+
The Saints battered Carolina on the ground as well, rushing for 208 yards on 35 carries. Chris Ivory led the way with 19 caries for 127 yards and a touchdown. Darren Sproles also contributed 40 yards rushing, helping him set the record for most all-purpose yards in a season.
Saints Passing Defense: B+
After a weak showing in the first half, the Saints secondary played well in the second half, holding likely Rookie of the Year quarterback Cam Newton to a meager 158 yards on 25 pass attempts. Saints rookies Cam Jordan and Martez Wilson both recorded late sacks and the Saints were able to get pressure on Newton consistently.
Saints Rushing Defense: C-
As they did in their first meeting, the Panthers were able to move the ball successfully on the ground against the Saints, gaining 164 carries on 24 carries for an average of 6.8 yards per rush. The Saints really had no answer for the Carolina running game, but were fortunate that once the Panthers trailed they were forced to run less frequently.
Special Teams: B+
Nothing spectacular here, but Darren Sproles did have a few nifty punt returns, during which he appeared to come dangerously close to breaking off a touchdown. Saints kicker John Carney kicked one field goal and Thomas Moorstead boomed his lone punt of the game 44 yards.
Saints Coaching: A
Some might question Sean Payton’s decision to play his starters into the fourth quarter, especially after it appeared that the 49ers were soundly beating the Rams to clinch the second seed in the NFC, but Payton seemed hell-bent on setting a tone for the playoffs.
The Saints did just that, while setting team and individual records in mass. They will head into their Saturday playoff match up against Detroit as arguably the hottest team in the NFL.
