(Sportsbooks) - With almost no margin for error and the stakes as high as they've been all season, the
New Orleans Saints should've been playing in Las Vegas on Sunday, because they undoubtedly beat the odds in a 31-24 victory over the
Arizona Cardinals.
Clearly, nobody could have predicted Drew Brees connecting on 86.7 percent of his throws (26-for-30) for 315 yards and two touchdowns, rounding out the afternoon with a 22-yard completion to Billy Miller on third-down that allowed the Saints to run out the clock.
They probably wouldn't have placed bets on the club spotlighting a third- string running back by the name of Aaron Stecker, who finished with 95 yards and two scores while subbing for Reggie Bush.
And, they most definitely wouldn't have recognized a New Orleans Saints squad that suddenly turned lemons into lemonade, with fumbles and dropped passes morphing into game-saving tackles and a 32-yard touchdown strike cradled by a receiver with "Patten" stitched on the back of his uniform.
And, nobody would have ever predicted -- after what has been a roller coaster campaign -- that fans in the Big Easy would be talking about magic numbers instead of maddening misery heading into the final two weeks of the NFL season.
"It was a must-win situation, a playoff atmosphere, we had to have this win and get everybody's best performance," said Brees. "That's the situation that we've put ourselves in and we're getting the best out of ourselves right now. When we sat there with four games (remaining) and said we had to have all of these games, that could be daunting but we treat each game like a playoff game."
Weeks ago, nobody would have dared uttered the "P-word" in any locker room housing Saints players. Now, with a record evened at 7-7 and as winners of three of their last four games, members of the Black-and-Gold are cautiously optimistic, even if they lack total control of their destiny.
THE PLAYOFF PICTURE
Things started to come into much sharper focus Monday night, as the Minnesota Vikings (8-6) stayed in control of the NFC's last Wild Card spot with a 20-13 victory over the Chicago Bears.
The Saints, therefore, still find themselves one game behind Minnesota for the sixth NFC playoff spot, behind the four division winners -- Green Bay, Dallas, Seattle and Tampa Bay -- and also the New York Giants, who are the current front-runners for the first Wild Card playoff slot with a 9-5 record.
Detroit, Carolina, Arizona and Philadelphia are all 6-8, and the Lions, Cardinals and Eagles and have been eliminated from postseason contention.
Washington, by virtue of its Sunday night win over the Giants, improved to 7-7 overall but is 5-5 in NFC games, a crucial tiebreaker in deadlocks, one game behind the Saints who are 6-4. The Vikings are 6-5 in NFC games, and the Giants boast a 7-5 mark.
So what does this all mean? For the Saints the math is pretty simple -- it means they have to win out and hope for a Minnesota loss to have a shot at playing in January.
COULD BUSH COME BACK?
It seems that recently, the Saints have been better without Bush, who just last week was diagnosed with a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Reports quickly surfaced that New Orleans would place him on injured reserve, though head coach Sean Payton refuted the rumors. Payton then stated after Sunday's victory he was "optimistic" Bush could return and was planning to practice this week.
"I was encouraged last week just based on watching him move around," said Payton. "We'll see what he does Wednesday. I guess I'm not as surprised because in the very beginning there were a handful of reports that I felt were just out there, guys winging it and making claims about injured reserve. Sometimes those stories come out and you try to figure out where they got started, but I'm encouraged though. We'll see what happens."
What the coach didn't address in any great detail, however, is how much playing time Bush could see if or when he returns. And maybe that's because the Saints simply look better without their $60 million superstar, who has been prone to dropped passes and fumbles all season.
And truthfully, it's got to be less of a headache for the coaching staff when they don't have to worry about getting Bush the ball. It leaves a lot more options for the offense, giving Brees a chance to spread the ball around and focus on the passing game, which has been the club's biggest asset thus far.
And one more thing - nobody's forgetting that Stecker has played a significant role in the Saints' offense after carrying the ball 42 times for 195 yards during the past two weeks.
INJURY UPDATES
Saints defensive tackle Brian Young is unlikely to play against the Eagles on Sunday after contracting a rare form of pneumonia last week.
Young remained hospitalized after having fluid drained from his chest cavity and his lungs over the weekend, according to Payton, who did not have a projected timetable for Young's return.
"It's been frustrating for him because he's laid up in a hospital bed, and it was more serious than any of us thought," Payton said. "Fortunately, he's recovering well. But it's something that's going to take a while. It's something that was pretty significant."
Young was replaced in the starting lineup by veteran Renaldo Wynn on Sunday. Defensive end Will Smith also missed the game with cramps and dehydration, but the team is otherwise healthy heading into a crucial showdown with Philadelphia.
CAN SAINTS GROUND THE BIRDS?
Almost doesn't count in the NFL, and that's something the Philadelphia Eagles have already learned heading into Sunday's game against New Orleans, having been eliminated from the NFL playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons.
The assumption that the Eagles are in a down cycle, though, could come back to haunt the Saints. For one thing, Philadelphia is coming off an upset of Dallas after having nearly beaten the New England Patriots. They have one of the league's most potent weapons in running back Brian Westbrook, and barring further controversy with quarterback Donovan McNabb, should not be taken lightly by the Saints.
Dig a little deeper, and we find that for the first time in franchise history, the Birds have three receivers with more than 50 catches and more than 600 receiving yards in the same season, and have been moving the ball really well.
Having beaten the Eagles twice last season, it seems like New Orleans should hold the edge in Sunday's matchup. But if the Saints want to be honest with themselves, they're battling a playoff-caliber team that could leave them on the outside looking in just as quickly.
