New Orleans Saints: 5 Reasons We Haven't Seen the Best out of This Team

New Orleans Saints fans, players and coaches are stunned by the 31-21 loss the hapless St. Louis Rams just handed them. The heretofore winless Rams ran Steven Jackson with impunity, unleashed A.J. Feeley's deep ball and, incredibly, abused Drew Brees and the high-powered Saints offense.

The Saints were shut out in the first half, the first time that's happened since 2007. Saints punter Thomas Morstead had a punt blocked for the first time in his career. The Saints offensive line surrendered six sacks to a team that had only 11 coming into the game.

The Saints were poised to run away with the NFC South. Now, the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are both nipping at their heels one-half game back. Next up, the Saints host the Bucs, then they go to Atlanta, before hosting the 5-2 New York Giants and 6-2 Detroit Lions in quick succession. Losing this game could prove costly indeed.

As spectacular of a pratfall as this game was, Saints fans shouldn't worry. The Saints are an extremely good team that hasn't played their best football yet.

The Saints Were Sleepwalking Against the Rams

It's hard to get motivated to play a team that hasn't won by Week 8. It's doubly hard to get motivated when you just blew the doors off a winless team the week before.

Last week, the Saints completely dominated the Indianapolis Colts in every phase of the game. During that 62-7 win, the Saints looked as if they could do no wrong. With everything coming so easily last week, the Saints walked right into a classic trap game.

"They certainly played with more energy than we did," Saints head coach Sean Payton said after the loss. "I just thought we looked flat."

With the newly minted world champion St. Louis Cardinals in the house, the Saints got the Rams' pumped-up A game. It looked as though the Saints hadn't bothered to prepare for anything harder than a C-minus.

The Saints Are Beating Themselves

The problem isn't that the Saints are getting beat by great teams. The problem is the Saints are beating themselves.

The Saints have lost two of their last three games, and Drew Brees has thrown at least two picks in each of those games. It's a troubling trend, to be sure.

However, Brees is capable of playing much better—and has, in fact, this season. Mistakes are correctable, errors are fixable and Brees will get it straightened out. Sean Peyton has made a career out of putting Brees in a position to maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses; next week's contest will provide a great chance Brees and the Saints to get back on track.

The Saints Nearly Beat the Packers

The Green Bay Packers are the toast of the NFL, sitting pretty at 7-0 and looking like a lock to repeat as Super Bowl champions. It's hard to remember now, but Drew Brees and the Saints traveled up to Lambeau Field in Week 1 and fell one yard short of taking the Packers to overtime.

Beating the unquestioned best team in the NFL at home is no easy feat, and the Saints came achingly close to pulling it off. Even in that game, they didn't put their best game together; at the end of the first quarter they were down 21-7. The furious comeback Brees led fell just short, but it proved that the Saints can flip the switch anytime, against anyone.

When the pressure is on, the Saints can and will perform up to the moment.

Sean Payton and the Coaching Staff

Saints head coach Sean Payton may physically gimpy, but there's nothing wrong with his mind. Sitting up in the coaches' box may not be his preference, but no matter where he sits he's got the vision to put the offense in the best position to win.

Payton has a lot to correct after this loss, but if there's anything he's proven he can do, it's work with Drew Brees to optimize the passing attack.

The upcoming schedule is tough, but with the next two games against the two teams chasing the Saints, Payton has a great opportunity to reopen a lead on the NFC South.

Drew Brees

For all the complications we love to pile on the NFL, there's one simple overriding truth: It's a quarterback's league.

Having Drew Brees in the center means there's no one the Saints can't keep scoring pace with. If he's on, and he almost always is, he's nearly unstoppable. Brees has taken the Saints to the mountaintop, and he has the talent, the tools and weapons around him to climb back up.