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Four Takeaways from Saints win over Rams

Football outsiders says the Saints have a 6.6 percent chance of playing in the postseason.

NEW ORLEANS —

Always a fun Monday after a Saints win and their playoff hopes are still alive.

Football outsiders says the Saints have a 6.6 percent chance of playing in the postseason. That's roughly a one-in-15 chance.

With the win, the saints are now 4-7 and still third in the NFC South. 

The division had a spectacular week going 2 -1. With the Bucs off it's the first week this season that the division had a winning record. Still, no one is over .500.

But honestly, the playoffs are still a long shot. So let's start our four takeaways with this.

#4 Be happy

Seriously! That should be a rule. This season has been rough the last two weeks have been especially rough but this Sunday wasn't.

The rule should be when the saints win, No grumpiness.

Complain after losses and especially when they beat the rams. One of their oldest and most hated rivals. Just put on some overalls and enjoy it. 

Sunday was a good day.

#3 2 QB's Worked  

What worked was the two-quarterback system. Andy Dalton only quarterbacked the saints on 40 offensive snaps.

Taysom hill took the other 16 and that was his most this season.

That's 29 PERCENT OF THE OFFENSIVE SNAPS. He didn't gain a ton of yards. 66 yards total, that's 4.1 yards a play.

On Andy Dalton's 40 plays the Saints gained 257 yards that's 6.4 yards per play.

Perpetually changing quarterbacks had the rams off-balance all game.

It led to the best single-game quarterback rating of Dalton's career. 

#2 Elliss and Johnson shine

At number two Two guys I want to single out Kaden Elliss and Juwan Johnson.

Elliss was all over the field Sunday and in two-and-a-half games.

Since Pete Werner got hurt Elliss has been a wrecking machine with 23 tackles and 3-and- a-half sacks. 

He is seriously opening some eyeballs right now.

Juwan Johnson has five touchdowns in his last five games.

Remember He was a wide receiver at Penn State and Oregon who transformed his body this offseason. He did it by juggling.

No. Not really. But he is a big fan of juggling. Johnson is third on the saints in catches and receiving yards.

He was undrafted and Elliss was a 7th rounder.

They're both upbeat. Positive personalities in the locker room and they're both playing well.

#1DA's Future

But at number one the heavy topic that really dominates all Saints conversations lately.

Will D-A be back next season?  Not should he be back. That's an opinion question for anyone. Will he is really up to Mickey Loomis.

The saints promoted Dennis Allen to preserve what's been a winning culture and to try to extend and expand the run of success.

The question now is it time to blow it all up and start over with a new coach or do you take the injuries and the learning curve into account and keep D-A for next season.

Honestly, I still think it could go either way. I think if the saints get to seven wins or better he stays. But they fade down the stretch and win five or fewer he goes. 

6-11 IS THE GREY AREA FOR ME  where it could go either way.

In the final six games, I think the Saints have to show positive growth for Dennis Allen to remain as head coach.

Sunday was a good start for Allen, but I think the final six games will tell the story of whether or not it all gets blown up in the offseason.

 

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