The Redskins played the Saints very well. Quarterback Jason Campbell brilliantly threw for 371 yards and three touchdowns, seemingly owning Gregg Williams' defense as if the Redskins had dialed up its former defensive coordinator's number the week before in practice, and the defensive line straight-up owned the Saints' running game.
But when you're chosen, or picked for destiny, or riding whatever sort of magic voodoo carpet or propulsively gaseous red beans-gris gris the Saints have going for them this year, sometimes you're lucky. And lucky are the really good and greatly prepared. So it's not like the eminent Drew Brees is a Calvinist or Buddhist commie when he says he believes in destiny and karma,</a> he means the previous couple of years the Saints got hosed by bouncing balls and there ain't no shitting way in hell a team this good can continually be defined by tough breaks and forty years of organizational opprobrium. It's our turn to earn a break.
One play stood out among the others that collectively said 'Calm down (especially you, bandwagoning wife), Saints got this,' and that was Robert Meachem's strip of safety Kareem Moore in the second quarter which he recovered and returned for a touchdown just moments after Moore had intercepted Brees on a third-and-26 pass.
Now in his third season after being a first-round pick out of Tennessee, Meachem has finally caught fire and is proving his draft value with eight receiving touchdowns as a complementary burner to receivers Marques Colston and Devery Henderson, not to mention again this plucky defensive touchdown.
Meachem also got the magic touch from Brees in the fourth quarter when he scored on a 50-something-yard pass against former LSU safety LaRon Landry in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 30-30 and give Who Dat Nation even more mojo to believe in.
This might seem like a Meachem love fest but the dude virtually won the game, 33-30, to keep the Saints undefeated at 12-0.
Twelve and freaking 0. I wasn't so worried about the Saints not going undefeated on Sunday as they trailed the lowly 3-8 Redskins, at that point, all game, as I was about the national recognition and perception of the team doing a 180 following its rout of the Patriots only six days before.
But the Saints prevailed. After falling to trail by 10 points, 30-20, with over seven minutes remaining, you sort of knew that Brees could still get the team back in it. And he drove them to a field goal. But then the Redskins responded with another drive -- yet missed a field goal chip shot. At that point Redskins coach Jim Zorn had a look on his face that said We gonna lose! And about 33 seconds later Brees tied it when he hooked up with Meachem.
With still about a minute left in the game, the Redskins had enough time to drive the field for a field goal, but linebacker Jonathan Vilma came up with an interception. The Saints were without timeouts and failed to get the ball close enough to line up a field goal for kicker Garrett Hartley -- his 58-yard attempt was short -- but momentum of the game had definitely turned. Saints Alive!
Plus, a buddy at the game who was fortunate enough to sit behind the Saints bench in the eleventh row got to see Jeremy Shockey throw his helmet and knock over water coolers when the offense was initially taken off the field with seven seconds left on the clock before being sent back on to try and gain a few yards on a sideline route. That pass failed.
The Redskins won the coin toss in overtime. It appeared they might win -- NFL rules in overtime are sudden death, the first team to score in 15 minutes wins.
But then cornerback Chris McAlister forced Mike Sellers to fumble on a pass play, and Vilma got even more fired up.
Hartley celebrates the win after booting a chip shot hiked from the one-yard line.
Defensive tackle Remi Ayodele blesses Hartley.
Running back Mike "The Hammer" Bell is like Who's Twelve-N.O., now, beeatches!
And then Bell gets cozy with fans at the first game the Saints have won in cold weather -- 40 or below -- since 1995.
Wide receiver Marques Colston, who initially burned LaRon Landry for a big-play touchdown in the second quarter, autographed game programs pre-kickoff for fans Grayson Bralley and Shepp Shirey.
Brees warming up; calling for ducks.
And victorious. And 17-year-old vlogumnist Deezzy
gets really Crunk.
This might seem like a Meachem love fest but the dude virtually won the game, 33-30, to keep the Saints undefeated at 12-0.
