Saints will test Seahawks’ invincibility at home

    Welcome to the weekend before Monday night’s Saints at Seattle game.
    Have you heard enough about Seattle’s home-field advantage? Heard enough about the 12th man?
    How many times have you seen Marshawn Lynch’s 67-yard touchdown run in the playoffs against the Saints almost three years ago? The one where he runs through the tackle of linebacker Scott Shanle near the line of scrimmage, brushes off cornerback Jabari Greer and flicks cornerback Tracy Porter to the ground.
    Seen enough of that one?
    By the end of the week, Saints head coach Sean Payton had to be clearly irritated with all the questions about Seattle’s alleged invincibility at home.
    Can the Saints win?
    Of course.
    The Seahawks are 5-0 at home, but included in those wins are a 20-13 victory over Tennessee and a 27-24 overtime triumph over Tampa Bay.
    The recipe for a Saints’ victory is to avoid a replay of what happened in that 41-36 playoff loss to Seattle. The Saints were injury-riddled at running back. On that 40-degree day in Seattle, Drew Brees was handing the ball to street free agent Julius Jones.
    With the Saints trailing, Brees threw the football 60 times. When Seattle took the lead for good, NFL Films caught a video clip of Seahawks defensive end Chris Clemons exhorting his teammates.
    “Put one more (touchdown) up there and we can start teeing off on No. 9,” he shouted.
    Eleven weeks into this season, Seattle was second in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (180). A big part of Seattle’s successful pass defense is a rush enhanced by crowd noise that makes communication difficult for the opposing defensive line.
But success on a Monday night could be all about Rob Ryan’s defense.
    If the Saints can get some stops, they can play a field-position game, much like they did earlier this season in a 26-18 win at Chicago.
    On a dicey grass field against a defense that thrives on turnovers, the Saints’ offense was very efficient. Brees threw 35 times and completed 29 for an average of 8.2 yards per completion.
    The Saints had zero turnovers. Brees was sacked once.
    But, a strategy that protects the football can work only if your defense can keep you ahead in the game. If not, Brees will be throwing the ball a lot.
    Crowd noise for the Saints’ offensive line will be an issue, and turnovers become a huge factor. In four of five home games, the Seahawks have forced at least two turnovers, including five against the 49ers and four against the Vikings.
    In their 47-year history, the Saints have never won a road playoff game. If they win Monday night, it will certainly feel like it.
    Ed Daniels is sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at edaniels@clarionherald.org.