Follow us:

It felt like the Saints got their mojo back against the Lions. They got down 14-0 early but then scored touchdowns on five consecutive drives. I loved the aggressiveness from Sean Payton in this game. On a fourth-and-4 in the first half, Drew Brees went downfield to Alvin Kamara for 29 yards. Then he found Emmanuel Sanders for 25 yards on third-and-1. On average, Brees' throws traveled 9.5 yards past the line of scrimmage. He hadn't been higher than 5.2 in any of the Saints' first three games. The Saints still have to get healthy and figure some things out, but Sunday's win one was a step in the right direction.

That might have been a season-saving victory on the road against the Lions. The offense came to life in a big way.

Evidently, alarmist reports deeming QB Drew Brees' right arm dead were premature ... at least that's how I'm interpreting Next Gen Stats.

FPI chance to make playoffs: 70.8%

Seventy percent feels a tad optimistic, considering the Saints' lackluster start to the season. But they would actually be the final wild-card team in the NFC if the season ended today, and they have a critical head-to-head win over the division-rival Buccaneers under their belt. And the Saints are bound to get better after WR Michael Thomas and other key players return from injuries, right? The Saints are less of a sure thing than they appeared to be one month ago. But this remains one of the most talented and proven rosters in the league. -- Mike Triplett

New Orleans entered Week 4 missing six injured starters while enduring the team-wide drama of a COVID-19 scare that led to the Saints not learning the point-of-care test results until 3 a.m. the morning of Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff against the Lions. Despite formidable obstacles, the Saints got it done between the lines, reeling off five unanswered touchdown drives to wipe out an early two-touchdown deficit in an eventual 35-29 win. Alvin Kamara -- football's best running back -- had 119 yards from scrimmage and his league-best seventh total touchdown and Drew Brees averaged nearly 10 yards per attempt in a day of vintage efficiency. The Saints also cut down on penalties -- a major issue during their slow start -- charged with just four in the win. A weird, ultimately successful, weekend.