NEW ORLEANS — More than anything else, it was just a fun afternoon in the Superdome.
Cam Jordan and the defense got to celebrate.
Andy Dalton and the offense got to celebrate.
Even Daft Punk had fun.
In a season without a lot of high points, this game was one of them.
#4 One Dimensional
From a tactical standpoint, the Saints made the Falcons one-dimensional, and it worked.
Sure, Tyler Allgeier and company ran the ball well but the Saints completely shut down the Falcon's passing game.
Desmond Ridder's numbers were terrible. Ridder had a quarterback rating of 59, the Falcons had 89 passing yards and just three yards a pass.
By contrast, the Saints gained over 10 yards a pass.
I thought Tryann Mathieu quietly had a terrific game and number 27 Alontaie Taylor looks like a future star, which brings me to number three...
#3 Finding Young Blocks
The Saints started the season as what you'd call a veteran team..#Oldish.
I was actually struck by how many young building block-type players have emerged this season.
On offense, I know Rashid Shaheed was undrafted, but he's legit. Blazing speed translates, and he makes catches.
He's seen his targets slowly grow this season. 95 receiving yards in a game is his career-high...for now.
Juwan Johnson has an incredible seven touchdowns in his last seven games,
Plus Chris Olave looks like a very good draft pick and Cesar Ruiz has taken major steps forward this season.
On defense, I mentioned Alontae Taylor, but Kaden Elliss has taken a big step forward this season. Payton Turner has shown it, sporadically.
And maybe the best of the bunch, Pete Werner is having an outstanding season. If he didn't miss four games, I think he's a pro bowler.
The point is, that's eight young players who have all shown this season that they can play major roles going forward.
#2 The Dennis Allen Question
Does that bode well for Dennis Allen staying on as Saints coach next season?
That's obviously the question that dominates the conversation right now.
Honestly, when I talk to media members and people who cover this team, the consensus seems to be that Dennis Allen will be back and that Mickey Loomis will likely require some staff changes.
But the consensus is that Allen will return to coach the Saints next season, and that does seem in character for how the Saints run their organization.
But when I talk to fans and friends of mine, the consensus seems to be that Dennis Allen has to go, that the team has grossly underperformed and that's on him.
And I certainly get that argument too. But with three games to go, I think the truth is that it could still go either way.
And what exactly it'll take to sway it in either direction, I don't know. But right now, neither Dennis Allen staying nor Dennis Allen going would surprise me.
#1 Stayin' Alive
For at least one more week, the Saints stayed alive.
And here's a fact: nobody deserves to win the NFC South.
The Buccaneers fell apart in a loss to Cincinnati. And the Panthers had 209 yards of total offense in losing badly at home to Pittsburgh.
The division went 1-3. Only the Saints won. So, the Saints have a slightly less than 3% chance to make the playoffs.
Not great, and they can't lose again, but they're alive thanks to a fun afternoon in the Superdome, and that's my four takeaways from the win over the Falcons.