NEW ORLEANS (AP) r12; Coach Sean Payton the New Orleans Saints are anything but risk averse.After all Wil Lutz Jersey , Payton's Saints won a Super Bowl with the help of a surprise onside kick nine years ago, and now New Orleans is one home victory away from its first Super Bowl since then r12; thanks to a pair of aggressive and pivotal fourth-down play calls when the Saints were trying to come back from a two-touchdown deficit."We needed to shift momentum and we were able to, fortunately, and take advantage of it," said Payton, who's bound to carry that approach into the NFC title game against the Los Angeles Rams next weekend. Facing fourth-and-short on their own 30, Payton called for a fake punt on which third-string quarterback and special teams virtuoso Taysom Hill took a direct snap as the up back.So when the Saints faced another fourth down on the Eagles 2 later that same drive, it only seemed fitting that they dialed up a touchdown pass from Drew Brees to rookie receiver Keith Kirkwood instead of settling for a field goal.That marked the beginning of 20 unanswered points scored by New Orleans in a 20-14 triumph in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs on Sunday."It's that play-to-win mentality," Brees said. "I've been with Sean long enough now to say that he's always been like that. From '06 until now, I think it's something that he knows the offense and the team feeds off of."When you get that in guys' minds that we are going to be aggressive, we are going to play to win, it allows guys to relax and cut loose," Brees added.Payton's gambles often occur with Hill on the field, perhaps because they seem to think alike. Hill had the option to check out of the fake and let the snap sail to punter Thomas Morstead if the defensive alignment looked unfavorable. But Hill was in no mind to wait for a better opportunity. He had seemingly nowhere to go when he got the ball, and powered through anyway."At the end of the day I'm going to error on being aggressive. I'm going to error on taking the opportunity to create some momentum and have a game-changing play for sure," Hill said. "It's all about taking calculated risks. It's finding that balance and that was a look that I felt like we could get it. That was a look that the coaches felt like we could get it, and I think at the end of the day it shows how much trust coach has in us."Eagles coach Doug Pederson said the Saints' risk-reward propositions had less to do with the element of surprise than simply New Orleans ability to call a good play situationally and execute."You kind of expect it in that situation," Pederson said. "You've just got to be prepared for that. We had our defense stay on the field. It was a great play by them."Some other story lines surrounding the Saints' first divisional round playoff victory since their last Super Bowl title in the 2009-10 season:LOST LEADER: The Saints stopped short of confirming that top defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins would miss the rest of the postseason with a low leg injury in the area of his Achilles, but when he punched the turf before being carted off the field, it looked serious. Afterward http://www.saintsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-demario-davis-jersey , Payton and players insinuated that Rankins' injury was season-ending."It's gut wrenching," Payton said. "He's played so well for us."Rankins was a first-round draft choice in 2016 and his eight sacks this season ranked second on the team ."To see him go down really hurt," fellow Saints defensive lineman Tyeler Davison said. "But I think it's going to give us some fuel as well to play for him and pull this thing out for him."ALSHON'S ABBERATION: Normally reliable Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffery might have been the least likely candidate to have an accurate Nick Foles pass bounce off his hands and into the waiting arms of cornerback Marshon Lattimore in the final minutes, sealing the result right when Philadelphia was threatening to take a lead in the final minutes.Jeffery dropped to the turf, face down, after the turnover, but the Eagles tried to console him. Before that fateful play, Jeffery had five catches for a team-high 63 yards."He's so down, but for me it's about staying positive," Pederson said. "He's made many, many big catches for us throughout the season r30; I told him to keep his head up and don't let one play define him."GROUND GAINS: The Saints outgained the Eagles 137-49 on the ground, with the elusive Alvin Kamara rushing for 71 yards, including a 12-yard, first-down run that let the Saints run out the clock. The hard-charging Mark Ingram added 53 yards. The running back tandem also combined for six catches for 44 yards.WORN DOWN: If it wasn't tough enough for the Eagles to have three defensive starters r12; end Michael Bennett, tackle Fletcher Cox and cornerback Rasul Douglas r12; leave the game intermittently with minor injuries, Philadelphia's defense also spent far more time on the field than the Eagles would have liked. During the last three quarters, the Saints possessed the ball for more than 32 minutes and had one 92-yard drive that took 18 plays r12; or more than 20 plays when counting plays wiped out by penalties.Brees pointed to that possession as "the turning point in the game." Jalen Ramsey backs up his big talk with big plays.Now the Jacksonville cornerback can crow about something else.Ramsey was the overwhelming choice as the NFL's top cornerback by a panel of 10 football writers for The Associated Press. The All-Pro received eight first-place votes in balloting released Friday."Big talent and a big mouth," wrote New York-based lead NFL writer Barry Wilner. "Still, the guy can cover, isn't afraid to hit Marcus Williams Jersey , and likes to match up with the top receivers."Marcus Peters of the Los Angeles Rams, last year's top choice, was second and had the other two first-place votes, followed by Arizona's Patrick Peterson.After helping the Jaguars reach the AFC championship game before losing to New England last season, Ramsey made headlines with his mouth.First, he ripped Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen as "trash" and called Atlanta's Matt Ryan overrated in the same interview with GQ magazine . It was released a few days after he was suspended during training camp for screaming obscenities at reporters who were videotaping a post-practice altercation between defensive ends Dante Fowler and Yannick Ngakoue.It wasn't the only time Ramsey was in the news in August. The third-year pro also dismissed four-time All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski of New England by telling ESPN The Magazine, "I don't think Gronk is as great as people say he is."Two weeks into this season, Ramsey said he would hit his grandmother if she were on the opposing team, along with other family members, while discussing his respect for the game. Asked if he really would hit his grandma, he said he "definitely would.""Ramsey talks a big game, but he backs it up with smart, physical play on the back end of arguably the league's top defense," wrote Dennis Waszak, another New York-based AP Football Writer.The Rams acquired Peters in the offseason after he intercepted 19 passes in three seasons with Kansas City. He was suspended for a game late last season by the Chiefs for throwing a penalty flag into the stands.The 25-year-old returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown in a season-opening win over Oakland. Peters has been battling a calf injury."He's tough enough in coverage that he sometimes has to peel off to go pick off his own interceptions," wrote Tennessee-based AP Football Writer Teresa Walker.Peterson has at least one interception in each of his eight seasons with Arizona. At the moment, it appears he will be a bright spot on a bad team with the Cardinals among three winless clubs. Peterson was second to Peters in a close vote last year."For sheer talent, Peterson is the best all-around cornerback in the game," Wilner wrote. "He gets little action in Arizona as the Cardinals struggle to get someone to clamp down the other side of the field."Minnesota's Xavier Rhodes was fourth, followed by Casey Hayward of the Los Angeles Chargers. Ramsey teammate A.J. Bouye was sixth Authentic Alvin Kamara Jersey , and Detroit's Darius Slay was seventh.Chris Harris Jr., of Denver was eighth, one spot ahead of former teammate Aqib Talib, who is now with the Rams. Marshon Lattimore of New Orleans, last year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after intercepting five passes, wrapped up the top 10.The rankings:1. Jalen Ramsey, Jacksonville2. Marcus Peters, LA Rams3. Patrick Peterson, Arizona4. Xavier Rhodes, Minnesota5. Casey Hayward, LA Chargers6. A.J. Bouye, Jacksonville7. Darius Slay, Detroit8. Chris Harris Jr., Denver9. Aqib Talib, LA Rams10. Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans NFL Outlet
