Saints Sensational

A highly anticipated matchup between the NFC’s elite did not disappoint. The Saints came in with a six-game win streak and extended it to seven, outgunning the Rams 45-35 to hand Los Angeles its first loss of the season.

Michael Thomas caught a late 72-yard touchdown reception and then celebrated with a cellphone in a throwback to another famous New Orleans play, and the streaking Saints handed the Los Angeles Rams their first loss of the season with a 45-35 win on Sunday.

Drew Brees passed for 346 yards and four touchdowns in New Orleans’ seventh straight win, and Thomas finished with a club-record 211 yards receiving. But what happened after their last connection of the day really stole the show in a wild shootout between two of the NFL’s best offenses.

Thomas’ long TD came on a pivotal third-down play with about four minutes to go, when the Rams seemed to expect the Saints to run a play closer to the first-down marker. Thomas ran free behind Marcus Peters, caught Brees’ long throw virtually in stride and ran straight to the goal post, where he got out an old-school flip phone — reminiscent of Joe Horn’s Sunday night TD celebration in 2003.

Thomas, who caught 12 passes, eclipsed Wes Chandler’s club record of 205 yards receiving against Atlanta in 1979.

New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara scored three times, twice on runs and once on a 16-yard catch-and-run — all in the first half.

The Rams (8-1) very nearly pulled off an extraordinary comeback in the Superdome, where the crowd was revved up after New Orleans (7-1) raced to a three-touchdown lead late in the first half.

The Saints and Rams’ offenses drew much of the attention entering this game given the units’ video-game-like explosiveness, elite-level passers and big-play running backs and receivers. But the Saints won Sunday’s game over the Rams thanks in large part to their defense.

New Orleans’ unit entered the game ranked in middle-of-the-pack in several categories, and it appeared to be particularly vulnerable to the pass. But the Saints’ defenders delivered huge stands for their team late in the first half and again with the game on the line in the fourth quarter. Three strong stands in the second quarter led to a turnover on downs and an interception. New Orleans’ offense then cashed those possessions in and notched three straight touchdowns, which gave them a 35-17 halftime lead.

The Rams did come back in the second half and tied the score 35-35 with nine minutes left. But that’s when the Saints buckled back down on defense and held the Rams’ scoreless the remainder of the game thanks largely to key pass breakups and quarterback pressures. In contrast, the Rams’ defense did well in the third quarter but then wilted in the fourth. The group struggled on third downs for much of the game and failed to deliver much-needed stops.

The Rams have the more star-studded defense, but it’s clear that the Saints are the most complete team in the NFC. Sean Payton and Sean McVay share a mutual admiration for each other and often study each other’s film and game plans in hopes of learning something that will help their own offenses operate better. Payton and McVay both delivered electrifying performances as play-callers, but it was the Saints leader who got the best of the younger coach this time.

Give the Saints’ offensive line much credit: Not only did they pave the way for a strong rushing attack, but they didn’t surrender a sack to a vaunted Los Angeles front. And despite MVP candidate Todd Gurley’s obvious value, New Orleans had the edge at running back due to the versatility they have with Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. And although the Saints’ defense still has had its share of struggles, it has stepped up in key stretches.