NEW ORLEANS — Christmas Eve was awesome. A fun Saints win to watch on TV.
However, they did not get any help. The Arizona Cardinals blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rallied to win in overtime.
So, with how the NFC South sits, the Falcons are out at 5-10. The Saints still have a 4% chance to win the division, and are actually still alive for the last wildcard spot, but their chances are less than half of 1%.
The Saints would need to win out and get a lot of help, but it's not over yet either way.
#4: Grand Slam
Maybe the single best performance in Cleveland came from fourth-year defensive end Carl Granderson. Granderson played his college ball at Wyoming. So blizzardy weather is not new to him.
In the horrible conditions, Granderson had six tackles, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and a sack. The sack came on 4th-and-10 and ended the game.
Alontae Taylor played really well again, Tyrann Mathieu had another terrific game, and Granderson was outstanding in the terrible weather.
#3: Clean Pocket
The Saints' best position group, I'd say, was the offensive line, which allowed zero sacks.
James Hurst and Company held Myles Garrett to zero sacks and zero quarterback hits. He was not a factor.
The Saints didn't pass it well in the wind but Andy Dalton had a clean pocket all game. And in the ice, the Saints ran it well, racking up 39 carries and 152 rushing yards.
Cesar Ruiz didn't play. When Andrus Peat went down, Josh Andrews came in.
And Trevor Penning got a bunch of snaps again, as a sixth lineman.
These guys did exceptional work in difficult conditions, and especially in the second half, they controlled the game.
#2: The Better Plan
Simply put, the Saints had a better plan in the ice than the Browns. You would think the Cleveland team would understand how to play in this better than the New Orleans team, but as it turns out, they didn't.
The Browns continually tried to throw the ball downfield. Deshaun Watson threw the ball 31 times in the ice and wind, and here's a shocker...his numbers were terrible. 47 is the worst quarterback rating in one game in his NFL career.
The Saints, meanwhile, threw half as many passes at just 15, and ran the ball.
The plan was smarter and more effective. The Saints outcoached the Browns.
#1: Better Effort
How the Saints played in crazy cold conditions looms large. Dennis Allen's team played extremely hard and with emotion, even with playoff odds extremely slim.
And that definitely shines favorably on Allen.
In their last five games, the Saints are 3-2.
At a time his team could have quit on him, Dennis Allen's guys have not.
I think the momentum is building right now, for Dennis Allen to stay as Saints coach next season. But I do not think that's written in stone yet, the last two games will tell a lot.
And that's our takeaways from the win in the ice in Cleveland.