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Be thankful for: Sean Payton, master troll. Not only does he want to show the world he can win with Taysom Hill, but he wants to do so while giving his enemies the middle finger. That's a compliment, not an insult. It's how Payton is wired. Saints fans love him. Fans of other teams can't stand him. New Orleans is now 6-0 without Drew Brees over the past two seasons.

OK, so maybe Sean Payton did know something we didn't about Taysom Hill. Now let's see him do it again on the road against a better defense. Then we can talk.

Pretty remarkable to think they're 6-0 without QB Drew Brees since the start of 2019 season. Yet worth noting defense has really stepped up, too, allowing just 16.8 points per outing sans Brees.

What they're thankful for: A cornucopia of quarterbacks

In a league where so many teams are plagued by their inability to find a QB they can trust, the Saints have now won games with Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater, Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston behind center over the past two seasons. Of course it helps that they have Sean Payton calling the shots and a defense playing at an elite level. But there is a lot to be thankful when you're 8-2. -- Mike Triplett

Early in the season, most of the focus on the Saints' slow start centered around Drew Brees and the quarterback's apparent physical limitations in his age-41 campaign. That covered for the fact that Sean Payton's defense was stinking out the joint. After Sunday's 24-9 win over the Falcons, most of the focus remained at quarterback -- Taysom Hill was fine -- but the underlying storyline mattered more: The Saints' defense is locked in, and it's been that way for weeks. Matt Ryan was sacked eight times and intercepted twice, and those impact plays put Hill in positive setups all afternoon. New Orleans allowed 30 points per game in the first five weeks. The Saints have allowed just 14.4 points per game in the last five weeks.