While quarterback Drew Brees was smashing the single-season record for passing yards, the New Orleans Saints’ running backs were putting together an impressive season of their own.

In fact, it may surprise you to find out the Saints’ running game finished sixth in the NFL, gaining 129.9 yards per game. On a per carry basis they checked in at fourth in the league with a 4.9-yard average.

“It’s a huge part of our offense,” Brees said. “Typically, I’d say when you look at an offense, it would probably be hard to be top ten passing and rushing because there are only so many plays in a game and so you’re running it more you’re throwing it more. I think it’s great that we’ve been able to sustain the efficiency in both and create for the other, especially when you look at the overall yardage, both passing and rushing. It’s pretty unique.”

Perhaps the biggest reason the New Orleans’ rushing attack doesn’t get the proper attention — aside from Brees dominating the headlines — is because the team doesn’t have a traditional featured back. Instead they had a committee of four players sharing the load over the course of the season, ranging from 79-122 carries.

In terms of carries, the Saints were led by rookie Mark Ingram, yet he had the lowest yardage per carry (3.9) of the four players. New Orleans will be without Ingram on Saturday after the team was forced to place him on IR with a toe injury.

Picking up in Ingram’s absence is Chris Ivory. 

Ivory, who burst onto the scene last year as an undrafted rookie out of Tiffin University, missed the first seven weeks this year while recovering from  lisfranque and sports hernia surgeries. Since returning to the lineup, he has rushed for 374 yards on 79 carries, including a 127-yard performance in the Saints’ Week 17 win over the Carolina Panthers. 

In addition to Ivory, the Saints have Pierre Thomas (562 yards, 110 carries) and the always-explosive Darren Sproles. 

A versatile free agent pick up from San Diego, Sproles has effectively replaced Reggie Bush in the Saints offense. He finished the regular season with 1,303 total yards, 86 receptions and a ridiculous 6.9 yards per carry. 

Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

The New Orleans Saints placed running back Mark Ingram and linebacker Will Herring on the injured reserve list on Tuesday.

The moves are expected to be announced by Saints Coach Sean Payton at his press briefing later today.

Offensive gaurd Eric Olsen and linebacker Nate Bussey are expected to take the rosters spots created by the transactions. Olsen was signed from the Washington Redskins practice squad. Bussey was promoted from the Saints practice squad.

Ingram is expected to have season-ending surgery on Wednesday to repair a toe injury he suffered earlier this season and aggravated in practice last week.

Herring suffered an undisclosed injury in the Saints’ 45-17 win against the Panthers on Sunday.

What do you guys think about this.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will meet with the local media after this evening’s practice. But here’s a transcript from his conference call Tuesday with teh Detroit media:

On this potentially being a shoot-out type game: “Well, obviously I know how explosive Detroit is offensively. I also know that I think we feel like we’re playing (good) football as a team and as an offense, but you know, it seems like, typically, when you get weeks like this where everybody’s hyping up one side of the ball or the other, and you know, kind of predicting it to be a shoot-out or whatever–the defenses are off kind of quietly in the corner making sure they come out with their best performance and they take that as motivation. So, listen, I think what these are two very good teams going up against each other, two teams that have earned the right to be here.

“When I look at Detroit’s defense, I see a playmaking defense, one that creates a lot of turnovers, one that can really rush the passer, and obviously we’ve got to have a plan for all those things. So, I don’t know it could be a back and forth shoot-out. It could also be a defensive struggle, but I think you go into the game just with the mindset that it’s certainly going to take all 60 minutes and maybe more.”

On QB Matthew Stafford’s season: “I’m very impressed. I think he’s had a phenomenal season. I don’t think he’s received the credit that he deserves. I know he’s battled some injuries as well, so he’s displayed some toughness and obviously he’s fought through a lot. As a young player in this league, too, especially starting as a rookie, there’s a lot of…there’s a big learning curve and I know that he has seemed to handle that very well and he’s obviously been a big part of the turnaround there.”

On if Stafford reminds him of himself at 23: “He’s a much better player than I was at 23 (laughs). You know, obviously he was a top draft pick and so obviously there was a lot of expectation coming into the league for him and that brings a lot of pressure, but I think he’s handled that very well.

“You know, we’re both Texas high school quarterbacks that kind of went on different paths to get to the NFL, but regardless of how we got here, we’re all trying to make our mark and definitely have been impressed with what he’s been able to do.”

On the difference in the Lions with Louis Delmas, Chris Houston, and Ndamukong Suh: “They’re playmakers. Obviously they make their defense better, so we expect a Lions defense at full strength. I believe we’re going to be at full strength and so, it should be a heck of a game.”

On last year’s playoff game motivating the Saints this season: “Well, it’s two different situations you know, and it’s two different teams. From the team we were last year, to the team we are right now, but certainly that was a game we were favored in, even though we were going on the road and playing in a pretty hostile environment. And then, obviously, got upset by Seattle, so I think just what we understand and what we learn from that is that once you get to the playoffs, it doesn’t matter what your record is or how you got there, it’s all about how you’re playing when you do get there and obviously, who’s able to rise to the occasion.”

On records not mattering once you’re in the playoffs: “That’s absolutely true. It doesn’t matter how you got there, it’s all about how you’re playing when you do get there. I looked through the last decade, there’s been three six seeds that have won the whole thing.

“You look at Pittsburgh, I believe, back in (’05), Giants in ’07, Green Bay last year, so it just shows (that) once you’re there, anything can happen.”

Leave your comments on the news below.

Posted: Tuesday, January 03, 2012, 9:19 AM

Following their eighth consecutive win, New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith talks about how the team is playing going into the playoffs.

That’s all the news for today.

NEW ORLEANS (AP)—If Sean Payton’s New Orleans Saints are inclined to
reflect back on anything from 2011, it’s not so much their recently concluded
record-breaking regular season as their disappointing first-round playoff loss
to Seattle last January.

“You understand in our game that when you line up in the postseason,
there’s a finality to it,” Payton said Monday as the Saints began preparations
for their playoff opener against Detroit.

“There’s a lot of things that were positive and a lot of things that were
accomplished with the season we just had, and yet the reason you try to win as
many games as you can is to prepare yourself for what we’re getting ready to
accomplish now,” Payton continued. “I don’t think you reflect now. You are
still driven by the challenge ahead.”

The 2011 Saints might be better than the 2009 team that won the Super Bowl.
Both were 13-3 in the regular season, and this season’s squad set several NFL
and franchise records, mostly on offense.

The Saints 7,474 offensive yards set a new league mark by 399 yards. Drew
Brees’ 5,476 yards passing was the most for any quarterback by more than 200
yards, while his 468 completions and 71.2 completion rate also set new league
highs. Darren Sproles’ 2,696 combined yards rushing, receiving and on returns
also established a new NFL single-season best.

Those records were only a sampling of the history New Orleans made this
season, though all that will mean a lot less if they suffer an early exit from
the playoffs.

Last season, the Saints won 11 games and were expected to roll past a
Seahawks squad that was the first division winner in NFL history with a losing
record. The Seahawks wound up celebrating an upset, and the Saints like to think
now that they learned from it.

“It helps that you’ve been through it and experienced a tough loss in a
game you were expected to win in a crucial time,” safety Roman Harper said.
“If you don’t show up and play with a sense of urgency and discipline, a team
can beat you. … If you don’t come prepared with a sense of urgency, you will
get your tail kicked in this league.”

The Saints have been building momentum for two months now, winning eight
straight games, including six by double digits. They’ve outscored their last
three opponents 132-53 combined. Two of those victories came against division
foes who had been playing well lately in Atlanta and Carolina.

On Sunday against the Panthers, the Saints could have begun resting starters
early in the second half, when their chances of improving their No. 3 seeding
diminished as second-seed San Francisco pulled away from St. Louis. Instead, the
Saints chose an aggressive approach that turned a one-score halftime lead into a
45-17 blowout.

In the process, they solidified their credentials as a playoff favorite,
even if they didn’t get a top-two seeding in the NFC and will have to win three
postseason games to get back to the Super Bowl.

“Sean’s been saying for a couple of weeks now that if we just continue to
play like we’re playing and continue in the path we’re on, that a lot of teams
are not going to want to face us,” Harper said. “You can say that now, but
then if we go out and lose a game, it doesn’t really mean anything.”

Saints right tackle Zach Strief also was guarded about the significance of
the Saints’ recent sting of lopsided wins.

“This is a game that can turn quickly on you,” Strief said. “Us playing
well the last few weeks doesn’t give us anything but confidence going in. It
doesn’t give us a win.”

Payton said he was happy to see his players being recognized both for
individual and team records. For now, though, his message to his players is that
they need to maintain the team chemistry that helped them win big lately and
forget about the accolades already accrued—at least until the postseason ends.

“It’s such a team sport,” Payton said. “It seems like the last two weeks
there’s been a lot of talk about individual accomplishments, as there should be
with the passing record, Darren Sproles. … (But) this is the time of year when
the focus really shifts to us playing our best football as a team.”

Gotta run!.

It comes up a lot, the comparisons to the 2009 team, but this year’s New Orleans Saints are different in a lot of ways than that team that won the franchise’s first Super Bowl.

The Saints lost three straight to end the ’09 regular season and didn’t seem to be playing their best football.

“We kind of had our crisis situation at the end of the season,” said linebacker Scott Shanle. “This year it was early in the season against St. Louis. i think since that game we’ve gotten better every week. It feels good to be peaking right now, but we have a whole new season ahead of us. We’ll have to put this season behind us and get ready for the new season.”

That will probably be easy to do, at least according to Carolina coach Ron Rivera.

He says the Saints are a team nobody wants to face at this point.

“We caught a football team that is on a roll,” he said. “When you put the tape on and watch how they played against Atlanta and watch how they played against us and the first thing you say to yourself is ‘I hope that we don’t have to play them.’ That’s what’s going to happen.

“Whoever is playing them is playing a very good football team on a hot roll right now. They are gong to have a lot of momentum going forward.”

Thanks for reading! .

NEW ORLEANS — Drew Brees and the record-setting Saints held nothing back in their season finale, heading into the playoffs in dominant fashion.

Brees passed for 389 yards and five touchdowns, and the New Orleans Saints set a slew of NFL and club records in a 45-17 blowout of the Carolina Panthers today.

The NFL single-season records set by the Saints (13-3), who head into the playoffs on an eight-game winning streak, included offensive yards with 7,474, team yards passing with 5,347 and first downs with 416.

New Orleans will host the Lions in the opening round of the NFC playoffs.

Brees, who was 28 of 35, finished with a record 468 completions this season, breaking Peyton Manning’s 2010 mark of 450. He finished the season completing 71.6 percent of his passes, breaking his own 2009 NFL record 70.6 completion percentage.

Jimmy Graham had 97 yards receiving to finish with 1,310, exceeding Kellen Winslow’s 1980 record for a tight end. But New England’s Rob Gronkowski finished with 1,327 yards, establishing a new mark.

Darren Sproles had 40 yards rushing, 29 yards receiving and 99 yards on kickoff and punt returns to finish with season with an NFL record 2,969 combined yards, easily breaking the previous mark of 2,690, set by Derrick Mason with Tennessee in 2000.

Carolina (6-10), which had won four of five, kept up for much of the first half but wilted over the final two quarters.

Marques Colston caught Brees’ first two scoring passes, making a spectacular, spinning catch with arms outstretched on the first one from 15 yards out.

Colston’s second touchdown went for 42 yards, and he finished with seven catches for 145 yards. He broke the 1,000-yard mark for the fifth time in his six pro seasons.

Brees also connected with Graham on a 19-yard scoring strike, and added TD passes of 9 yards to Darren Sproles and 1 yard to fullback Jed Collins.

Graham’s TD catch was his 11th, matching a club record also reached by Joe Horn in 2004 and Colston in 2007.

Brees surpassed 300 yards passing for the seventh straight game and 13th time this season, both NFL records he already held and simply extended.

The records come one week after Brees passed Dan Marino’s 27-yard-old single-season record of 5,084 yards passing.

Brees finished the season with 5,476 yards to go with 46 touchdown passes.
Remarkably, Brees didn’t even play most of the fourth quarter for the second time in three games. As was the case in a 42-20 win at Minnesota two weeks earlier, Brees was relieved by Chase Daniel after the Saints had built a commanding lead.

Although San Francisco’s lopsided victory means the Saints could not improve their No. 3 seeding in the NFC playoffs, coach Sean Payton had said during the past week that he wanted his team to continue building on the torrid pace it established during its second-half winning streak. He was true to his word, with aggressive play calling that produced a franchise record 617 yards of total offense. It was the 13th 400-yard game for the Saints this season.

With six touchdowns against Carolina, the Saints finished with 66 this season breaking the 2009 record of 64.

Cam Newton closed out an otherwise spectacular rookie season 15 of 25 for 158 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The Saints had 360 yards of total offense in the first half, when they easily blew past the Rams’ 2000 yardage mark.

Brees passed for 249 yards in the half, when he hit Colston for the Saints’ first two passing touchdowns.

Both defenses struggled for much of the half, and the each time might have scored more if not for Patrick Robinson’s interception of Newton in the Saints’ end zone and R.J. Stanford’s interception of Brees deep in Panthers territory.

Chris Ivory gave the Saints a 7-0 lead on the opening series of the game with his 35-yard touchdown.

The improving Panthers hit right back with Newton’s 12-yard timing pass to Smith to tie it. Later, Jonathan Stewart’s 29-yard scoring run pulled the Panthers into a tie at 17 with 1:18 to go in the second quarter.

That was too much time for Brees and the Saints’ high-flying offense, as Brees connected on his long TD pass to Colston with 7 seconds on the clock to make it 24-17 at halftime.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints have played at such a high level lately that there’s been more drama about which records would be broken rather than whether or not the Saints would win. As a Saints fan, the last two weeks have been surreal as one NFL record after another fell by the wayside. That trend continued on Sunday as the Saints dominated the Panthers 45-17 and laid waste to more records.

New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers

Despite the incessant stat watch that took place during the FOX broadcast of the Saints vs. Panthers game, I was much more interested in scoreboard watching. As nice as it is for the Saints to now own all these records, it was more important for New Orleans to keep their fleeting chances at a first round bye alive.

Personally, I was glad to see New Orleans give 100% because I despise the Panthers loud-mouths Steve Smith and Jeremy Shockey. Also, it seems like every year, an NFC South also-ran picks up a cheap win over the Saints in the last game because New Orleans rests its starters. However, the Panthers received no such gift from the Saints today.

I believe New Orleans has been playing so well that Sean Payton wanted to keep that momentum going against the Panthers. Brees was on fire and torched the Panthers for 389 yards and 5 TDs. He finished the regular season with 5,476 passing yards. And it was nice seeing the Atlanta Falcons and Panthers get humbled in the last two games.

I was also happy to see New Orleans feed the ball to Darren Sproles so he could break the NFL all-purpose yardage record. I wonder if the critics will complain about that too. All in all, it was a great day for the Saints. New Orleans stayed sharp by dismantling the Panthers, they broke some more records and most importantly they stayed healthy.

Looking ahead

Thanks to the St. Louis Rams, the Saints will have to play next week. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Detroit Lions and the Falcons embarrassed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who quit a long time ago. So now the Saints get to face the Lions as New Orleans begins its quest to win a second Super Bowl in three years.

Patrick Michael was born and raised in New Orleans and currently resides in the Big Easy. As such, he is a lifelong, diehard New Orleans Saints fan. His highlight as a Saints fan was experiencing the magical Super Bowl season of 2009.

Sources

FOX broadcast of Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints

“Week 17 Scoreboard,” yahoo.com

More from this contributor

Is Drew Brees the frontrunner for 2011 NFL MVP?

Should the Saints now be at the top of NFL power rankings?

Game summary of Super Bowl 48

NFL nonsense: Pierre Thomas fined for Christmas bow incident

Top 5 NFL players in the Hall of Fame who should not be

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

The New Orleans Saints’ offense isn’t the only unit rewriting the NFL’s record books this year. The Saints already set the league record for most touchbacks on kickoffs in a season with 62 so far. Now tailback/kick returner Darren Sproles and punter Thomas Morstead are also within range of breaking NFL records as they head into Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Carolina Panthers.

Sproles has a league-leading 2,528 all-purpose yards this year, based on the combined total of his rushing, receiving, kick return and punt return yards. He needs 163 yards to break the single-season NFL record of 2,690, set by the Tennessee Titans’ Derrick Mason in 2000.

Sproles needs 120 all-purpose yards to break the franchise record of 2,647 set by Michael Lewis in 2002. Lewis’ total ranks second in NFL history.

Sproles, however, said he’s not focused on the NFL record – or even aware of it. When asked how long he’s known about his record pace, he said, “since just now when you said it.”

“That’d be cool, but it’s not on my mind,” Sproles said. “That’s not my main focus. My main focus is just to help this team win. And that’s all that’s on my mind when I go out there and play.”

Sproles has certainly helped the Saints this year in every way he can. He has 563 rushing yards, 681 receiving yards, 1,035 kickoff return yards, 249 punt return yards and nine total touchdowns. But in his heart, he’s still a tailback first and foremost.

Sproles said he always admired all-purpose stars like former New York Giants dynamo Dave Meggett.

“But my all-time favorite is Barry Sanders,” Sproles said. “That’s who I always tried to be like.”

Morstead, meanwhile, is well aware of his shot at the NFL’s all-time mark for net punting average. For one thing, that’s the number that all NFL punters and special teams coverage units care most about because it takes into account the return yardage. And for another thing, the current record-holder Shane Lechler might be the best punter in NFL history.

Lechler set the record with a net average of 43.85 yards for the Oakland Raiders in 2009. Morstead’s net average this year is 43.1 yards. And the San Francisco 49ers’ Andy Lee has a net average of 43.5.

Morstead already broke one NFL record last week with the kickoff touchbacks – though that tally is inflated a bit because the NFL pushed kickoffs up to the 35-yard line this year, and because the high-scoring Saints kick off so often. The net punting record would be even more special, though.

“That would be really cool,” Morstead said. “We have a chance. We’ve had a couple real good games in a row.”

Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton said his team will play to win on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. He said he will not bench any starters for the regular-season finale.

“We’re going full speed ahead,” said Payton, who said he doesn’t even plan to pay attention to the score of the San Francisco 49ers-St. Louis Rams game, which will be played at the same time.

The Saints need to win and have the 49ers lose to earn the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

Payton said he decided to play his starters this week, both because of that shot at the No. 2 seed and because he feels like his team is well-rested and has a lot of momentum going during its current seven-game win streak.

“We’re playing some of our best football here the last few weeks,” Payton said. “There’s some value to that.”

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Tuesday felt very much like Ash Wednesday in New Orleans. The morning streets were eerily quiet as the city slowly rousted itself from the Carnival-like celebration of Drew Brees’ record-breaking passing performance for the New Orleans Saints the previous night.

Alas, there’s always someone who wants to rain on the parade, even one as universally fun as Monday’s surprisingly easy 45-16 flogging of the Falcons.

The criticism of the Saints’ decision to go for Dan Marino’s 27-year-old single-season passing yardage record in the final minutes of a 22-point game was surprising. It also was unwarranted.

In case you missed it, apparently a few Falcons players and media members were offended by the Saints’ decision to go for the record with a 22-point lead and three minutes to play.

Some felt the Saints were running up the score, rubbing salt in the wounds of a bitter archrival when Brees hit Darren Sproles for a 9-yard touchdown pass that gave him 5,087 yards for the season, three better than Marino’s old mark. Others went further, calling the decision classless and disrespectful.

The Falcons’ frustration is understandable. They’d just been embarrassed by their archrivals on national TV in a critical game. It was their most lopsided regular-season loss in years and their fifth setback in the past six meetings with the Saints. Their Angry Bird mentality makes sense.

But truth be told, this really had nothing to do with them. They were just innocent bystanders. This had everything to do with Brees, the Saints and New Orleans.

This was a New Orleans moment, a town and team celebrating one of their own. It was their chance to honor Brees for his remarkable season and celebrate a significant accomplishment in his burgeoning Hall of Fame career. It was as if Coach Sean Payton and the Saints were saying to America, “OK, you can continue to snub this incredible player in the MVP balloting, but you can’t deny this moment. This is our time.” Or more appropriately, “This is his time.”

“I felt like the moment was right, so you go with your gut,” Payton said Tuesday afternoon. “I thought it was the right decision last night. This morning, I thought it was clearly the right decision.”

Right place, right time

Payton wasn’t trying to rub it in the face of the Falcons and their classy coach, Mike Smith, and he said so afterward. In fact, both Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and Smith went out of their way after the game to praise Brees and acknowledge the significance of his accomplishment.

“We have a ton of respect for Falcons Coach Mike (Smith), his staff and his players,” Payton said Monday night. “It seemed like the right thing to do. I felt real good about the decision.”

He should. It was the correct thing to do.

Was it a little defiant and impulsive? Maybe. Did it fly in the face of conventional wisdom? You bet. And that’s exactly why New Orleanians loved every second of it. After all, what city loves itself or embraces its eccentricity more than New Orleans, right?

Besides, it’s exactly what everyone — with the exception of the Falcons and their fans — wanted. The sellout crowd had packed the stadium in anticipation of witnessing history. A nationwide audience on the “Monday Night Football” broadcast had stayed up past its bedtime to catch the historic event.

This was the appropriate setting for such a remarkable achievement by such a remarkable player. The alternative was to wait and watch him break the mark Sunday at noon against Carolina. No, this historic mark needed the right moment, and it materialized fatefully in the final minutes of play Monday night.

“He is such a great teammate,” Payton said of Brees. “His leadership ability transcends just the New Orleans Saints team and into this region. I think it is pretty obvious. It was pretty special last night for the fan base to share in that accomplishment.”

Make no mistake, Payton didn’t go for the record to ingratiate himself with fans. He did it for the only reason he should have: because it was the best thing for his team and organization.

The last thing the Saints (12-3) needed was the distraction of the record chase to carry over another week. Brees and his teammates needed to turn their attention toward the Carolina Panthers (6-9) and trying to secure the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

End games

Now Payton has some important decisions to make.

How does he handle Sunday’s game against the Panthers and the dynamic Cam Newton? Does he rest his regulars, knowing the chances of the Rams (2-13) beating the 49ers (12-3) are slim to none? Or does he go for it again and risk losing a key player or two to injury?

Payton was mum about his intentions Tuesday.

In a nearly identical situation last season, Payton elected to play his regulars and watched safety Malcolm Jenkins, tight end Jimmy Graham and running back Chris Ivory drop with injuries in the first half. A dreadful loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs followed.

Moreover, where do all of the records and historic streaks come into play?

The Saints are 219 yards shy of the NFL record for total yards in a season set by the 2000 St. Louis Rams.

Brees has a 42-game streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass to consider.

And lest we forget, New England’s Tom Brady trails Brees by a mere 190 yards in the passing yardage race. If Payton sits Brees early, he runs the risk of seeing Brady overtake his star at the season’s finish line. After Monday night’s euphoria, you know he wants to maintain the record for Brees.

Then again, Payton can’t afford to expose his star quarterback to injury for a second longer than necessary. As soon as the 49ers’ game is decided, he needs to pull Brees and all of the regulars he can. This is one time where the team needs to eschew its one-game-at-a-time philosophy. The Saints need to be thinking ahead. The Super Bowl is the priority.

“What we have to do is keep playing,” Payton said. “The playoffs are close. How do we put ourselves in the best position to play well and put ourselves in an opportunity to win a championship?”

From here on out, a championship is the only thing that matters.

Jeff Duncan can be reached at jduncan@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3404.

Thanks for reading! .

New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod said he was “pretty shocked” to learn he had been named to the NFC’s Pro Bowl roster Tuesday. “But,” he said, “it was definitely awesome news.”

“Just having the opportunity to be voted in is such an extreme blessing,” said Bushrod, a fourth-round draft pick out of Towson in 2007 who became a starter during the 2009 preseason. “I never would’ve thought in a million years I’d have this opportunity, in the same way as winning a Super Bowl two years ago.”

Bushrod, who has only allowed three sacks this season, has developed into a major part of the Saints’ offensive success. He was one of five members of that prolific offense selected to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday, joining quarterback Drew Brees, guards Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks and tight end Jimmy Graham, a fellow first-timer.

“Guys have good seasons if the team’s doing well,” Bushrod said. “And I just think as a team, we’re jelling right now. We just have to keep it up.”

Subscribe to our feed!.

When the New Orleans Saints take on the Atlanta Falcons tonight at the Superdome, will you be torn?

Are you in a fantasy league championship game this week and facing Saints players or do you have Falcons players?

How are you going to handle it?

Tell us your story.

Thanks for reading! .

WEEK 17 FLEX SCHEDULING UPDATE:

Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings remains at noon on Fox.

New Orleans Saints vs Carolina Panthers scenarios:

The Week 17 Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings game on Sunday, January 1 will be played at 1:00 PM ET on FOX, the NFL announced today. Following are the game time possibilities for the Week 17 Carolina Panthers-New Orleans Saints game to be determined based on tonight’s Atlanta-New Orleans game (ESPN, 7:30 p.m.):

If Saints win or tie:

Carolina at New Orleans will be played at Noon on FOX.

If Falcons win:

Carolina at New Orleans will be played at 3:15 p.m. on FOX.

Following is the Week 17 NFL schedule (asterisk and bold/italics represents changed game time, **denotes game time pending outcome of Monday night game):

SUNDAY, JANUARY 1 (WEEK 17)

The NFL utilizes “flexible scheduling” on Sundays in Weeks 10-15 and 17 to ensure quality matchups in all NFL Sunday time slots.

Comment Below!.

The New Orleans Saints have won six straight Monday Night Football games, dating back to 2008, which is the longest streak in the NFL according to ESPN.com. That streak includes a dominating 49-24 victory over the New York Giants last month, and they Saints are hoping to keep it alive Monday against the Atlanta Falcons in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Saints Coach Sean Payton has a simple explanation for the Saints’ Monday night streak: The Saints have simply been a good team in general over that stretch.

“I think we’ve been able to that because I think we’re a better football team than maybe in years past,” Payton said. “And we get comfortable to a schedule or a routine, I think, like all the teams do. I think it comes down to the execution and understanding how to focus for that three-hour period to play your best football. And chances are the team that does that this upcoming Monday night will be the team that’s most successful.”

There is the quick update of the day.