It's been four games since the St.Louis massacre and our beloved Saints find themselves with a two game lead in the NFC South division. Outside a collapse of Hasslonian proportions, the Saints have made the playoffs. The next four weeks will determine exactly who and where they play and how many playoff wins it will take to make it to the Super Bowl. All is good, right?
Well, maybe.
The next two games will reveal the toughest foe the Saints have faced all season.
Themselves.
Coming up are the Tennesee Titans(7-5) and Minnesota Vikings (2-10). On paper, two teams the Saints should beat.
But.
The Titans are the anit-Saints. They play outdoor December football. Well, this game will be outdoors and in December. They run, and they run and they run. Did I mention they run. Featuring the rounding into deadly form Chris Johnson, Tennessee has run themselves to within two games of QBless AFC South Division leader Houston Texans. Who, by the way they face on the final weekend of the season. In his last two games, the waterbug Johnson has rushed for 190 and 153 yards and 7.45 yards per carry. Before you say "eight in the box", the Titans can loosen up the defense with play-action throws from QB Matt Hasselback, yes, that Matt Hasseback. The former Seattle QB that lit up Roman Harper and the Saints defense in that humiliating playoff defeat last season. The Saints under Payton and Brees, have yet to prove they can beat a quality road opponent, outdoors, in cold weather.
The Vikings present another kind of challenge. That late season bete noir with nothing to lose. A noon kickoff with no national spotlight media fawning and fainting and oohing and aahing over the Saints high powered offense. No bright lights, no frenzied who dat'ers. Just a lazy Sunday afternoon in the land of a thousand lakes.
In my mind, there's no doubt the Saints are better than both teams. In my mind there's some doubt they can prove it. Remember the '06,'07 ,'08 games in cold Chicago. Think about the games against Arizona and Cleveland in '10. Or the Rams game a month ago. Heck they needed a miracle to win in DC in December during the Super Bowl season.
Brees' kryptonite has been cold weather and Payton's barren has been getting his team ready to face inferior opponents. In the next two games we will learn if either, neither or both have been overcome.
