Vintage Saints Back in Business in NFC South After Handing Falcons 1st Loss

Let's look at the glass as half full.

Let us not bemoan the unmasking of the previously unbeaten Atlanta Falcons as a paper tiger, a team whose 5-0 start to the season was as much a product of a soft schedule as a barometer of the Falcons themselves.

No, instead let us celebrate the New Orleans Saints, who did the exposing with a 31-21 win at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints were a team in full-on panic mode after last week's embarrassing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Lose again and fall to 1-5, and the end of the Sean Payton/Drew Brees era in the Big Easy appeared a foregone conclusion.

Well, instead the Saints did the embarrassing, and the reports of the Saints' demise may have been just a tad premature.

Things had gotten just about as bad as they could get for the Saints. A disappointing 2014 led to big offseason changes that were supposed to right the ship. Instead, the Saints pitched and lurched out of the gate, quarterback Drew Brees was knocked around like a pinball, and as Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com reported, colleague Ian Rapoport went so far as to say Payton might bolt after the season:

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NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday on NFL Network's Around the NFL that Payton is expected to receive some inquiries from other teams, and that Payton would be "open to" listening.

Rapoport cites people familiar with Payton's thinking that said Payton is open to listening to opportunities. The talks could wind up turning into nothing, but it doesn't sound like Payton has closed the door on leaving. Of course, it may not be up to him. He has two years left on his contract in New Orleans and he's not going anywhere if the Saints are dead set against it.

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Payton didn't look like he wanted to leave town just yet Thursday night. In fact, he turned back the clock.

On a key series late in the third quarter, the Saints, up 17-7, faced 4th-and-goal from the 4-yard line. Rather than kick a field goal to go up 13, Payton went for the jugular. The Saints went for it, first drawing an offside penalty and then scoring on a Brees-to-Ben Watson touchdown pass.

ESPN's Ed Werder hailed the move:

Of course, Payton wasn't the only Saint who hopped in the wayback machine. After being knocked around, harried and even forced to miss a game with a bum shoulder, some have questioned whether the end was nearing for Brees.

If it is, you couldn't see it Thursday.

Brees attempted 39 passes on the night, misfiring on only nine of them. He topped 300 passing yards and found Watson for that touchdown pass without turning the ball over.

More praise, this time from Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing:

And as for Watson, Brees' favorite target on the night? As Peter King of The MMQB pointed out, Watson had himself a game:

In case you were wondering, Jimmy Graham's career best in receptions is 10.

It wasn't just Payton and Brees who answered the call of the critics in Week 5. So did defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's beleaguered Saints defense.

The Saints entered Week 6 ranked dead last in the National Football League in total defense. They were 26th in sacks. The Saints were, however, first in dustups between head coach and defensive coordinator:

It was all smiles Thursday night, though. The Saints were able to pressure the opposing quarterback consistently for really the first time all season, piling up five sacks (including three by top pass-rusher Cameron Jordan). The team forced three turnovers. The Saints actually gave up more yardage than they were averaging entering the game (413 to 409), but the defense made plays when it had to.

And that was the theme of the night. With the Saints' backs against the wall, the team came out swinging. Running back Mark Ingram scored a pair of touchdowns. The Saints' special teams blocked a first-quarter punt, returning it for a score.

From the time the Saints took the opening kickoff and drove the length of the field to take a 7-0 lead to the game's final gun, New Orleans was in control against a Falcons club that entered the week with a goose-egg in the loss column.

Yes, that Falcons team helped, fumbling the ball five times and playing easily its most sloppy game of 2015. The Saints also left points on the field, missing a pair of field goals.

But all in all, Payton was happy with the Saints' performance following the game, per the team's website:

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Good division win for us. We played with a lot of emotion. We capitalized on the blocked punt. Defensively we did a really good job. Not necessarily between the 20's, but our red-zone defense really came up big. Just a good team win.

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Granted, one game does not fix all that ails a team that was just shelled in Philly. The Saints aren't good defensively. The offensive line needs to improve in a hurry. But just as Thursday showed the Falcons weren't as good as 5-0, it may just have shown that the Saints weren't as bad as 1-4.

Is getting back into contention in the NFC South a long shot? Yes. Of course. The team started 1-4, silly.

But the Saints just beat the Falcons, and the Panthers face a very stiff test Sunday in Seattle. The gap has narrowed. The Saints' next two games are both against teams with winning records, but neither the Indianapolis Colts nor New York Giants may be as good as their records indicate.

Kind of like the Falcons.

No, a surprising turnaround that propels the Saints back into playoff contention may not be a probability, but it's at least a possibility. For one night, the Saints turned back the clock and Brees continued his dominance of Matt Ryan and Atlanta. What would have been the despair of 1-5 is now the renewed hope of 2-4.

You just have to look at the glass as half full.

Gary Davenport is an NFL analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter @IDPSharks.