NEW ORLEANS — I like to think when the New Orleans Saints were 35,000 feet in the air and flying home from Seattle after their 33-27 win over the Seahawks General Manager Mickey Loomis saddled up to head coach Sean Payton and they cracked open whatever adult beverage they prefer, and gave each other a nod and a toast for acquiring Teddy Bridgewater last August.
The Saints believed Teddy Bridgewater was worth a 3rd round draft pick and making the highest-paid backup quarterback because they thought if Drew Brees ever missed significant time, Bridgewater could keep a season from going off the rails. Sunday showed they knew exactly what they were doing.
It must be fantastic to be so right and know your critics, at least 1 game in, are so very wrong. If I was Sean Payton I'd have conducted the post-game press conference like I was Vince McMahon at WrestleMania. I'd have had a bull horn and custom made backdrop with 'I WAS RIGHT' in gigantic gold font.
If you can't be arrogant about being correct on huge decisions, what's the point of living?
Bridgewater wasn't the sole reason the Saints won, and if you wanted to break out the dreaded quarterback slur 'game manager' I'm not going to argue. I would say going 19-27 for 2 touchdowns and no turnovers in the rain against a team that had never lost at home in September when Russell Wilson started a game was pretty $#% %$^ impressive. Sometimes game managing is sexy.
What an amazing day for Bridgewater. He came back from a knee injury that not almost cost him his career but very nearly his leg. He admitted he had incredible emotions right before the game.
"I was thinking about the process from the time I was injured up until now and just thinking about all the ones who believed in me and just being back on this stage," Bridgewater said.
To look pretty much like the guy who helped the Minnesota Vikings win a division title in 2015 is almost unbelievable.
After not catching many breaks from the officials or otherwise the first two weeks, the Saints seemingly caught them all Sunday. It was nice of the referees to not blow the play dead on Vonn Bell's 33-yard fumble return for a touchdown. We should also congratulate former Saints 4th round pick Al Woods for finally contributing to a Saints win by lining up wrong, thereby giving the Saints a 1st down after a Wil Lutz missed 53-yard field goal. The Saints then promptly used that good fortune to extend the lead to 27-7. When the good Lord gives you an illegal formation on the road against an undefeated team, you have to cash that lottery ticket in. The Saints did.
The Saints had a picture-perfect start as the defense forced the Seahawks to punt on their first series and Deonte Harris returned the kick 53 yards for a touchdown. It was the Saints first punt return since 2015 against the Carolina Panthers, ironically the last time Drew Brees missed a start due to injury. Apparently, the Saints only return punts for touchdowns in desperate situations, like when their Hall of Fame quarterback isn't available.
“How does one win a road game when you are out-gained by 250 yards and have the same amount of turnovers as your opponent?” Dominating on special teams helps a lot.
The Saints special teams were amazing in the first half and kept the Saints in the football game. It wasn't just Harris' TD, Thomas Morstead put on a punting clinic that we should probably have the Saints Hall of Fame put on a loop whenever he gets inducted. Morstead averaged 54 yards a punt and had downed 4 inside Seattle's 20-yard line. It was kind of punting Bill Belichick would gladly spend 4 hours talking about.
Besides Bridgewater delivering everything they hoped he would by filling in for Drew Brees, the offense did almost all of its damage because Alvin Kamara is so wonderful we've run out of words to describe how marvelous he is to watch. If Thomas Morstead needs his punts for this game played during his Saints Hall of Fame induction, Kamara might just play his highlights from Sunday over and over next summer when he is negotiating his extension with the Saints. When I watch Kamara play as he did in Seattle I just want the Saints to give him all the money, and even St Charles Avenue if that's what it will take to keep him.
Teddy Bridgewater calling Kamara a human joystick nicely summed up Alvin's 25 touches 161 total yard day. It was just one magical play after another.
Photos: New Orleans Saints stun Seattle Seahawks at home
The Saints winning Sunday in Seattle in the rain with a quarterback who hadn't had a meaningful start in 4 years is one of those days that will keep us addicted to this silly sport. It makes investing too much time, energy, and money into Saints football all worth it.
Sunday's win in Seattle is to me, besides the Steve Gleason game in 2006, the most fun and emotionally satisfying Saints regular-season win since maybe the Saints went to St Louis and defeated the defending Super Bowl Champion Rams with quarterback Aaron Brooks making his first-ever NFL start in 2000.
There's just something so fantastic about watching the Saints play great in a game where you have no earthly idea what will happen before it starts. The Saints are in first place in the NFC South all by themselves, Drew Brees will be back in 5 games, and while the season has gotten off to an unaccustomed to start, the 2019 Saints showed Sunday they are as interesting as ever.
---
Read more Saints Forecast on WWLTV.com:
---
Ralph Malbrough is a contributing writer and Saints fan living in Houston. Email him at saintshappyhour@gmail.com, find him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter at @SaintsForecast or download the NSFW Saints Happy Hour Podcast.
(Warning: The Saints Happy Hour Podcast may contain language that is not suitable for all audiences)