Roller-coaster ride a weekly proposition in NFL

    The NFL is a one-week league, and, for that, Saints fans can be happy.
    Six days after routing the Saints in Seattle, the Seahawks looked pedestrian on offense in a loss at San Francisco. Russell Wilson wasn’t the same quarterback he was against New Orleans. Seattle had 13 first downs and 264 total yards.
    And, that stifling Seahawks’ defense couldn’t hold a fourth-quarter lead. San Francisco’s Frank Gore ripped off a 51-yard run to set up the game-winning field goal.
    Hours later at the Superdome, the Saints overcame a yawning offensive start. With 21 second-quarter points, the Saints were on their way to a 31-13 rout of Carolina.
    Considering the quality of the opposition – and that Carolina was riding an eight-game win streak – the Saints’ seventh straight win at the Superdome was their most impressive victory of the season.
    What does it all mean? It means fans must live in one-week windows.
    “You see too many examples every year in the league of a team that has a good week and a bad week,” said Saints offensive tackle Zach Strief. “You can’t be like that if you are trying to achieve what everyone is trying to achieve.”
    So, Sunday, here’s what the Saints have to do. Beat the Rams. And, then, two weeks later, beat the Bucs in the Superdome in the season finale.
    Even if the Saints lose at Carolina in Week 16, the Saints will win the NFC South and clinch the No. 2 seed with victories in two of their last three games. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head, and that would be even assuming a Saints/Panthers split.
    If the Panthers won out, Carolina and New Orleans would both have 5-1 records in the division. The third tiebreaker is common games. The Saints and Panthers would each be 5-3 against common foes.
    The fourth tiebreaker is conference record. With wins at St Louis and at home against Tampa Bay, the Saints would finish with a 10-2 record in the NFC. The Panthers already have three losses in the conference. That is why the victory in the Superdome last Sunday night was so important.
    Sean Payton’s Saints had a welcomed case of amnesia. They got back to what they do best: that is, they put the ball in the hands of Drew Brees and let him throw it 43 times.
    That suspect running game is still a huge question mark. The Saints had 17 rushes for 69 yards, an average of 4 yards per carry. But, there’s an asterisk. Thirty-eight of those yards  came on one Darren Sproles scamper – the longest running play of the season.
    The Saints’ game plan is simple. Keep winning, stay relatively healthy, get the No. 2 seed in the NFC, and perhaps get a chance to go back to Seattle.
    If that were to happen, anything is possible in a one-week league.
    Ed Daniels is sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].