Offense Evolving as Saints Keep Playoff Hopes Alive on 'MNF'

The New Orleans Saints offense currently looks like a suspect lineup. While the usual suspects are involved, it's the most unlikely of those in the lineup that have proven to be the most dangerous. 

Tight end Josh Hill and wide receivers Kenny Stills and Nick Toon are the Saints' version of Keyser Soze. 

The trio combined for 11 catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns during the Saints' 31-15 victory over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Monday Night Football. With the victory, New Orleans gained sole possession of first place in the NFC South with a 6-8 record. 

In New Orleans, the normal song and dance everyone grew accustomed to is quarterback Drew Brees finding All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham or the Saints' all-time leading receiver Marques Colston. They're still a part of the music the Saints are making on offense, but they're now notes within the overall melody. They don't comprise all of the lyrics. 

Graham and Colston finished Monday's contest with 10 receptions for 152 yards and a touchdown. They're still Brees' preferred targets, yet the maestro of the Saints offense is now singing another tune. 

Sean Payton's offense doesn't fire on all cylinders unless Brees can adequately spread the ball around to multiple receivers, and those second or even third options can make defenses pay when they get the ball in their hands. 

Those tertiary targets are now becoming a bigger part of the offense and allowing the Saints to be more balanced in their passing attack. 

The backup tight end, Hill, may be the most unlikely candidate to become a threat in the offense. After all, Hill isn't simply a backup. He's a backup to a backup. Graham and veteran Benjamin Watson are generally considered the team's top two tight ends. But the Saints have found ways to utilize Hill this season. 

"He's been consistent," Payton said after the game, via the team's website. "I get fired up when I see him covering a kick and making a play towards the end of the game in the fourth quarter when we need a guy down. He does a lot of things. He’s versatile. Those are good things when you are a tight end."

Entering Monday's game, Hill snagged three touchdowns. He filled in adequately and proved to be an athletic option when Graham missed a game due to an injured shoulder, which still continues to hamper the Pro Bowler. 

Hill proved to be a solid checkdown option for Brees with enough athleticism to turn those short receptions into red-zone touchdowns.

The second-year tight end can also serve as a vertical threat, but the Saints didn't push the ball downfield Monday after their veteran quarterback struggled with longer passes the previous week against the Carolina Panthers. They didn't need to, though. Brees was able to pick apart the Bears defense, and players such as Hill helped make his evening run smoothly. 

To put into perspective how unlikely it was for Hill to score a pair of touchdowns against the Bears, ESPN's Darren Rovell placed the entire evening into context:

If Hill is a luxury within the offense, Stills is a necessity. 

Since Payton arrived in New Orleans, the Saints' wide receiver corps included a speedster who could open up the field by taking the top off defenses. For years, Devery Henderson served in that role. Stills continues to emerge as the Saints' true deep threat, but he's a better all-around wide receiver than Henderson ever was. 

With his 67 yards Monday, Stills leads the Saints' wide receivers with 781 receiving yards. He's only one yard behind Graham for the team lead. 

Stills continues to grow as the weeks pass, and his dependability as one of the team's top targets becomes more apparent as Brees continues to look for him. 

Over the past four weeks, Brees targeted Stills 27 times. The wide receiver rewarded his quarterback with 21 receptions for 350 yards. While those numbers certainly aren't eye-popping, each statistic is superior to Colston's over the same time period. 

The ninth-year receiver from Hofstra is still one of Brees' favorite targets in the red zone, but Stills is quietly emerging as the Saints' new No. 1 wide receiver. 

As Stills replaces Colston as Brees' first option at wide receiver, Nick Toon could be the one who actually pushes the veteran out of the lineup, according to ESPN.com's Matt Williamson: 

The 31-year-old receiver always did most of his damage from the slot. Colston used his size (6'4", 225 lbs) and physical play to dominate smaller defensive backs. Toon brings the same dynamic, and the Saints are starting to use it more in recent weeks. 

Brees found Toon open twice on slant routes from the backside of the play for chunks of yardage. The 6'4", 218-pound target used his body well to shield the defender. Overall, Toon was targeted four times and caught all four passes. It's a performance he repeated a week earlier. 

His reliability wouldn't even be brought into consideration, but he fumbled the ball near the goal line early in Monday's contest. However, Toon is simply another weapon at Brees' disposal. 

Finally, Payton expertly sprinkled running back Pierre Thomas into the passing attack. Thomas isn't the same type of emerging player as the previously mentioned receivers, but he can be a dynamic addition to the scheme when used properly. 

Thomas is at his best when he's the team's third-down back. There have been points this season when the eighth-year veteran needed to take on a bigger role in the offense due to an injury to starting running back Mark Ingram. 

Earlier this season, Ingram's production was a tell-tale sign of the Saints' success on offense. Their ability to establish the line of scrimmage was vital, and Thomas' production fell by the wayside. 

Payton rediscovered Thomas Monday. The veteran back caught five passes for a season-high 83 yards. His ability to slip past the Bears' pass rush without being detected by the secondary was masterful. Thomas caught two screen passes in the first quarter for 70 yards. 

NFL.com's Twitter feed made a bold claim after seeing Thomas shred the Bears defense: 

While all of these players are vital contributors to the Saints offense, none of them are true difference-makers. They're talented parts that lend their specific skills to a greater whole.

"A man can convince anyone he's somebody else, but never himself," Kevin Spacey as Verbal Kint said in the movie Usual Suspects.  

The play of Hill, Stills, Toon and Thomas may be limited, but all of them make the Saints offense better. They make Brees better. They take pressure off Graham and Colston. And they allowed the Saints to grab hold of the NFC South despite a sub-.500 record.  

In the end, the Saints may be limping away as the champions of their division. 


Brent Sobleski covers the NFC South for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.