The Saints produced the bounce-back performance they were looking for as they defeated Tampa Bay 34-17 to improve their record to 8-2. New Orleans started fast and built a 20-0 lead in the second quarter, which pleased Coach Sean Payton, but he says there are areas of improvement.
“Too many penalties, had a touchdown brought back, had a third-down conversion brought back, gave up a couple of big plays on defense. we still think we got better football ahead of us, but I was proud with how we responded from last week,” said Payton.
The defense, playing without star cornerback Marshon Lattimore, intercepted Tampa Bay four times. PJ Williams took Lattimore’s place and had an interception as he defended Bucs standout wide receiver Mike Evans. Payton says it was a good day for Williams and the defense.
“He was good, he was ready, I thought he had a good week of practice, Mike is a tremendous player, I thought our secondary was ready, we got some hands-on some balls. When you have four takeaways you are going to win a lot of games,” said Payton.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns. Michael Thomas had a strong game with eight catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. Brees says the trust factor he has with Thomas is high.
“We talk with these things, we work on these things, any situation we get into, we know here is a guy who runs every route and makes every play,” said Brees.
The Saints host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, who lost to Atlanta on Sunday.
