Drew Brees really seems to miss the power running game of Deuce McAllister as teams don’t respect the Saints running game without him.  The Saints are only averaging 86.2 yards rushing per game so teams are often lining up with 5 defensive backs against the Saints.  That’s part of the reason that Brees has thrown so many pickoffs this season despite only being sacked 8 times this season.  He’s trying to force the ball instead of throwing it away this season.  Brees has completed 307 of 456 passes (67.3%) for 2,997 yards with 18 TD passes and 15 interceptions (85.0 QB Rating) so far this season.

The Saints flat out punched the Panthers in the mouth all day long last Sunday.  Drew Brees completed 24 of 36 passes for 260 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 interception.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 8 yards and it was a TD run.  Reggie Bush had a sub-par game with 9 carries for 32 yards (3.6 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 30 yards (10.0 avg).  Aaron Stecker (13 car, 42 yards, 3.2 avg) and Pierre Thomas (12 car, 32 yards, 2.7 ypc) both also pitched in on the running game.  Marques Colston led the way in the passing game for the Saints with 7 catches for 93 yards (13.3 avg) with a TD catch.  The Saints finished up with 113 yards rushing on 39 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 36 passes for 260 yards.

Safeties Roman Harper (7 tackles, interception) and Josh Bullocks (5 tackles, interception) led the way for the Saints defense.  The Panthers finished up with 43 yards rushing on 18 carries (2.4 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 36 passes for 152 yards.

This defeat pretty much shows that last season was a fluke for the Saints.  Drew Brees completed 33 of 49 passes for 290 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions.  Reggie Bush was pretty busy as he carried the ball 15 times for 34 yards (2.3 ypc) and he also caught 12 passes for 70 yards (5.8 avg).  Marques Colston had another really solid game with 9 grabs for 118 yards (13.1 avg).  The Saints finished up this game with 47 yards rushing on 19 carries (2.5 ypc) and they also completed 33 of 49 passes for 280 yards.

Scott Fujita (9 tackles, fumble recovery) and Will Smith (3 tackles, sack, fumble recovery) led the way for the Saints defense which didn’t play too well yesterday.  The Texans finished up with 103 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 33 passes for 287 yards.

The Saints played pretty poor in this game and they deserved to lose.  The defense just couldn’t get off of the field as the Saints only had possession of the ball for 20:18 of this game.  Drew Brees completed 25 of 36 passes for 272 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 interceptions.  Reggie Bush carried the ball 7 times for 17 yards (2.4 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 27 yards (5.4 avg).  Aaron Stecker had a good game with 3 carries for 26 yards (8.7 avg) with a TD run and he also caught 1 pass for 8 yards.  Marques Colston had another great game with 8 grabs for 129 yards (16.1 avg).  The Saints finished up with 43 yards rushing on 11 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 36 passes for 265 yards.

The Saints defense was awful in this game.  The Rams rushed for 133 yards on 34 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 34 passes for 276 yards.

The Saints flat out dominated this football game.  Drew Brees was outstanding as he completed 35 of 49 passes for 445 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Reggie Bush put in another solid effort as he rushed for 72 yards on 17 carries (4.2 ypc) with a TD run.  He also caught 3 passes for 43 yards (14.3 avg) with another TD.  Aaron Stecker got his work in as he carried the ball 6 times for 24 yards (4.0 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 11 yards.  Marques Colston had his second outstanding game in a row as he caught 10 passes for 159 yards (15.9 avg).  David Patten continued his solid play of late with 4 catches for 81 yards (20.3 avg) with a TD.  TE Billy Miller (3 rec, 75 yards) and WR Lance Moore (3 rec, 26 yards, TD) both also pitched in.  The Saints finished up with 103 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.1 ypc) and they completed 35 of 49 passes for 435 yards.

The Saints defense was led by CB Jason David who had 8 tackles and a interception.  Mike McKenzie also had a huge game with 4 tackles and a interception that he returned 75 yards for a TD.  DE Renaldo Wynn was bringing the heat on Quinn Gray all day long as he made 4 tackles and had 2 sacks.  The Jags finished up with 88 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 33 passes for 344 yards.