The one that got away
January 10, 2012
Roy Ivey
January 13, 2012
Pack your black and gold n the New Orleans Saints’ 2011-12 playoff tour is headed to San Francisco.
The Saints punched their ticket to the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs Saturday night, dominating the Detroit Lions in the second half to score a decisive 45-28 home win.
With that triumph, the team will now leave the comforts of their home and travel across the country to take on the No. 2 seed in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers.
That game figures to be a significant challenge for the Saints, who say they’ll be ready for the battle.
“They have a great defense,” Saints halfback Darren Sproles said. “We have to get ready for them. We are going to get back to the drawing board this week and we will get ready for them.”
The Saints’ push for their second Super Bowl in three seasons looked to be on thin ice in Saturday’s opening moments.
The Lions came out of the gates smoking, scoring a touchdown on the game’s opening drive on a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford to tight end Will Heller to take a 7-0 lead.
Containing Stafford’s powerful right arm was a problem throughout the duration of the game for the Saints. The former No. 1 overall pick played well in his first-ever playoff game, tossing for 380 yards and three passing touchdowns.
The former Georgia standout also had a rushing touchdown in the effort.
His play and the mentality of the entire Detroit roster caught the attention of New Orleans players and coaches who lauded their opponent’s effort.
Calvin Johnson was also a big culprit in the Lions’ attack, hauling in 12 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns.
“We tip our hat to Detroit for coming in here and playing their guts out,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “We played a real good football team. Their staff and their players had a heck of a season.”
“That is the type of team is that is one play away,” Saints receiver Devery Henderson agreed. “They have Calvin Johnson, just throw him up a deep ball and you never know what is going to happen. We had to put up some points to be safe with these guys.”
The Lions’ lead held for the entirety of the opening half with Detroit holding a 14-10 halftime advantage.
Then the Saints regrouped and got the points Henderson referenced.
With their championship resolve tested, the Saints came out of the lockers in the second half with guns blazing, quickly taking control of the game to continue their run at the Lombardi Trophy.
The Black and Gold took their first lead on the final half’s opening drive on a 41-yard bomb from Drew Brees to Henderson.
Holding the lead in their back pockets, the Saints never looked back, pouring in 35 second half points and an NFL postseason record 626 yards of total offense.
Most of those yards came via the deadly accurate right arm of NFL MVP candidate Drew Brees.
Fresh off his record-breaking regular season, Brees torched the Lions’ secondary, completing 33-of-43 passes for 466 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
“He’s definitely playing at an extremely high level for us,” Saints receiver Marques Colston said. “He comes to work day in and day out and tries to get better on a daily better. That’s what you see on the field.”
“We got a lot of pressure on him in the first half,” Detroit Lions defensive lineman Nick Fairley added. “But in the second they made adjustments and we couldn’t stop them. You have to give them all the credit.”
Brees’ precision was the biggest weapon, but the Saints’ running game arguably was the difference in Sunday’s game.
The Black and Gold rushed for 167 yards on 36 carries.
Darren Sproles and Christopher Ivory did their part in the attack, pitching in 51 and 47 yards respectively. But it was Pierre Thomas who did the most bruising, rushing for 66 yards on just eight carries.
Thomas also caught six passes for 55 yards and was a difference maker all game, continually getting extra yardage after making contact with tacklers.
“It’s the playoffs,” Thomas said of his effort. “Like I told a lot of guys, when playoffs hit, you’ve got to be a totally different animal. It’s win or go home.”
“He had some good effort plays. I thought he played with good energy, he was balanced,” Payton said. “There were a ton of yards after contact that he gave us tonight and that was impressive.”
With the win, the Saints will now move to the Divisional Round where the NFC Western Division Champion 49ers await.
Kickoff for that game will be 3:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. The game will be televised nationally on FOX.
Like New Orleans, San Francisco rolled through the season with a 13-3 record.
But unlike the Saints, the 49ers reached their perch with defense.
San Francisco has allowed just 229 points this year and have held 11 of their 16 opponents to 20 or fewer points.
But the 49ers’ offense is capable of scoring when needed.
San Francisco averages nearly 24 points per game in their run-based offense and have won three of the five games they allowed 20 or more points.
One of the biggest factors in the game might not be X’s and O’s, but instead weather.
The Saints have long garnered the reputation of being a team unable to compete at a high level in harsh weather conditions.
Weather forecasts show a slight chance of rain in the San Francisco bay area Saturday afternoon.
Run or shine, the Saints know they have a challenge dealing with the 49ers.
Heck, as they’ll quickly remind anyone who asks – winning 13 games in one season is not a fluke.
Likewise, they believe they can compete no matter what Mother Nature throws into the weather report.
“I feel like our offense and our team is built for whatever condition,” Brees said. “We play indoors here in the Superdome and that’s what we’ve been doing as of late, but we feel like we’re the type of team that should be able to go anywhere, anytime, and play our type of football that we know how to play.
“There are elements at times you have to deal with no matter where it is, but we’ll adjust accordingly. I don’t see any reason why we can’t go on and continue to be productive.”
