I'm going to keep track of the Saints' first drive of each half. This is what the Saints do best and really sets the tone for the game. 15 drives - 5 TDs, 1 FG (1-missed), 6 punts, 2 fumbles Week 1: Minnesota -1st half: *5 plays, 77 yards, 2:04, TD -2nd half: *11 plays, 74 yards, 6:43, TD Week 2: @ San Francisco -1st half: *7 plays, 46 yards, 3:55, TD -2nd half: *9 plays, 40 yards, 4:33, punt Week 3: Atlanta -1st half: *3 plays, 6 yards, 1:22, TD -2nd half: *11 plays, 42 yards, 6:07, fumble Week 4: Carolina -1st half: *15 plays, 90 yards, 8:18, fumble (at the 1 yard line) -2nd half: 7 plays, 23 yards, 2:14, punt Week 5: Arizona -1st half: *7 plays, 31 yards, 3:06, FG -2nd half: *4 plays, -2 yards, 1:30, punt Week 6: Tampa Bay -1st half: *7 plays, 94 yards, 4:36, TD -2nd half: *12 plays, 77 yards, 6:04, missed FG Week 7: Cleveland -1st half: *5 plays, 13 yards, 1:34, punt -2nd half: *5 plays, 42 yards, 3:27, punt Week 8: Pittsburgh -1st half: *5 plays, 18 yards, 1:46, punt -2nd half: *
After scoring 4 TDs on our first 5 opportunities...it has been pretty bad ever since. 2 fumbles, 2 punts, and 1 FG in the last five drives have really killed us.
Those 2 drives were we fumbled would have probably been touchdowns, so 7 TDs and a FG in 12 drives is definitely getting the job done. The 77 yard drive that resulted in a missed FG had a TD called back, and then a TD dropped in the endzone. So potentially looking at 8 TDs and a FG in 12 drives. And only 1 poor drive all season out of 12. Payton knows how to script those first 10 plays.
They did a great job this weekend. The missed FG was a disappointment but 10+ minutes, 170+ yards, and seven points is awesome.
