鈥?Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints face the prospect of seeing their season end where it began.That is Giants Cody Latimer Jersey , unless theyr17;ve improved enough to turn the tables on the Minnesota Vikings, who beat New Orleans convincingly in Week 1.r0;That feels like ages and ages ago,r1; Brees said of the 29-19 loss in Minnesota, describing the difference between the Saints then and now as r0;night and day.r1;The Saints (12-5) rebounded from double-digit losses to the Vikings and New England Patriots in their first two games to win the NFC South. Now theyr17;re on to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs after holding off Carolina (11-6), 31-26 on Sunday.New Orleansr17; next game comes one day before Brees turns 39 years old, and will come one week after the veteran quarterback reminded everyone her17;s still capable of big passing days if opposing defenses sell out to stop the Pro Bowl running back tandem of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara.Brees completed 23 passes to eight different receivers for 375 yards and two touchdowns. Only two of his completions went to Ingram or Kamara, who accounted for only 68 yards from scrimmage combined.r0;We trust our system. We trust each other and what we proved is we can beat you in a lot of different ways,r1; Brees said. r0;Therer17;s no better feeling than knowing you just won, not only won but won a playoff game as a team and now your17;re on to the next one.r1;His touchdown passes of 80 yards to Ted Ginn and 9-yards to tight end Josh Hill helped New Orleans open up a 21-6 lead late in the first half. Michael Thomas caught eight passes for 131 yards, including a 46-yarder that set up Kamarar17;s short TD run in the fourth quarter.For the Panthers, it was an excruciating end to the season. Beaten soundly by the Saints twice before this season, they pushed New Orleans to the brink in the third matchup.Aided by the return of star tight end Greg Olsen, the Panthers drove inside the Saints 22-yard line five times, only to come away with nothing twice and field goals three other times.r0;That was the difference in the game http://www.broncosauthorizedshops.com/authentic-isaac-yiadom-jersey ,r1; said Olsen, who had eight catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. r0;We moved the ball pretty much at will the whole game. We just struggled in the first half in the red zone and it turned out to be points that we kept chasing.r1;Still, the Panthers had a first down on the Saints 21 with 41 seconds left. It wasnr17;t until Newtonr17;s intentional grounding in the face of end Cameron Jordanr17;s pass rush, followed by Vonn Bellr17;s sack on a safety blitz on fourth down, that the Saints sealed the victory.Some other things to know from the Saintsr17; win:GETTING PRESSURE: The Saints sacked Newton four times. Jordan, Bell, linebacker Jonathan Freeny and defensive tackle David Onyemata each had one. Jordan, a newly named All-Pro, also tipped two passes and might have made his biggest play when he ran through two blockers to force Newtonr17;s intentional grounding. Their pass rush could be a factor against Minnesota QB Case Keenum, whor17;s been sacked 17 times in Minnesotar17;s last six games.Certainly, Jordan expects a different game that Week 1, when the Saints had one sack 鈥?by Jordan 鈥?against then-starter Sam Bradford.r0;We had a young defense that was still learning,r1; Jordan said. r0;Wer17;ve clearly turned the corner. Wer17;ve clearly turned to the next chapter. Now wer17;re into the playoffs and wer17;ve got bigger and better goals.r1;SECONDARY CONCERNS: While the Saintsr17; defense has been far better this season than last, the secondary has looked more vulnerable lately. Against Carolina http://www.giantsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-will-hernandez-jersey , they allowed Newton to pass for 349 yards, his second most all season. New Orleans struggled to cover Olsen and versatile running back Christian McCaffrey, who six catches for 101 yards, including a 56-yard score.END ZONE PROTECTION: While the Saints defense gave up 413 net yards, their ability to keep Carolina out of the end zone was crucial.r0;Itr17;s better to hold them to three than six,r1; Bell said. r0;We held them in the red zone and we won the game.r1;ROAD WOES: While the Saints won their sixth straight home playoff game and improved to 5-0 in the Superdome in postseason games under coach Sean Payton, theyr17;ve won only one road playoff game in their history. That was during the 2013 season, when they won a wild-card round game at Philadelphia before losing the next week at Seattle.The Saintsr17; all time road playoff record is 1-6. Suddenly, football is fun again for Eric Ebron.
He's smiling and shouting, celebrating scores and making big plays look routine at training camp. Inside the Colts' tight end meeting room, teammates hear him asking questions and offering suggestions, virtually certain Ebron will play a prominent role in Indianapolis' new offense.
It's everything Ebron wanted 鈥?a second chance to showcase his skills and finally live up to the hype surrounding him when he entered the NFL.
My deal is to just take it to the next level," Ebron said shortly after signing with the Colts in free agency. "At this place, I have a new start Vinny Curry Jersey Elite , I have a new finish. I have a new rep and that alone means a lot."
Ebron thought he could have achieved more in Detroit.
So did the Lions, who drafted the North Carolina product with the No. 10 overall pick in 2014.
They believed the Ebron's 6-foot-4, 253-pound frame and 4.6-second time in the 40-yard dash made him a nightmarish matchup for opponents and figured Ebron could stretch the field down the middle and open up the outside for Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate.
Instead, Ebron's reputation was damaged by injuries and a perceived propensity for dropping passes.
He struggled with a pulled hamstring as a rookie, missed two games the next season with a strained knee and three games in 2016 with a bruised knee and sprained ankle. Last year, he missed most of training camp with a pulled hamstring but finally managed to play in all 16 games for the first time in his career.
Ebron's stats weren't bad once he got started: 47 receptions for 537 yards and five TDs in 2015, 61 catches for 711 yards with one TD in 2016 and 53 catches for 574 yards and four TDs in 2017. They just weren't the mind-blowing numbers everyone anticipated when he was a hot-shot prospect.
So the Lions decided to let a frustrated Ebron test free agency rather than exercise their fifth-year option.
Turns out, a change of scenery could be the perfect remedy to jump start Ebron's career.
Colts tight ends coach Tom Manning convinced Ebron he'd start with a clean slate and a coaching staff that values tight end mismatches. It was an offer too good to pass up.
"Tom had so many little stats and tapes put together and it is about treating him (Ebron) the right way," offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni said. "He is a phenomenal talent so we would be foolish not to want him on our team. But it definitely helps having guys that know how to recruit."
The Colts insist Ebron could still become the player the scouts projected.
He's only 25 years old and provides Luck with another critical option alongside Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton and Pro Bowl tight end Jack Doyle.
And, of course, Ebron took note of just how creative coach Frank Reich was last season as offensive coordinator for Super Bowl champion Philadelphia.
He's not lobbying yet to throw a pass to Luck, like tight end Trey Burton did in the Super Bowl 鈥?though nobody would put it past the fun-loving, energetic newcomer.
But he should fit in nicely with a deep positon group that starts with Doyle and includes veteran Erik Swoope and possibly promising youngster Ross Travis, at least until running back Robert Turbin returns from his four-game suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.
"We really complement each other extremely well Steelers Chukwuma Okorafor Jersey , to be honest, more than I even expected as we came in here," Doyle said. "It's going to be a lot of fun working with him. It's going to be an advantage for us both."
Ebron believes this offense will help him, too, which is why the season-opener, Sept. 9 against Cincinnati, can't come soon enough.
"I just bring a little bit more versatility to the offense and I do a couple things a little bit different (than Doyle)," Ebron said. "Me and Jack are here to work side by side and I think that's going to be something to really watch and something that's exciting that I'm excited for. I'm sure the coaches are, too."
Notes: Doyle (personal reasons) was one of a handful of players who missed Tuesday's practice. Left tackle Anthony Castonzo and Denzelle Good, who is battling to start at right tackle, both sat out for a second straight day with hamstring injuries. ... Also out were rookie defensive end Tyquan Lewis (foot), cornerback Chris Milton (hip), center Deshawn Bond (concussion protocol). Right guard Matt Slauson was given an extra day of rest.
.
