Saints continue to prove that they are the team to beat for NFL superiority this season

Over the course of the last month, the New Orleans Saints have stamped their dominance on the National Football League. With win after win, the Saints have shown that preseason hype was not for naught- they are the real deal and seem to impress more as each week passes. From the explosive offensive numbers to a steadily improving defense, the Saints have a bevy of ways to stymie their opponent and have shown that they are top dogs in the NFL.

Since the game against the New York Giants, where the last update left off, the Saints have remained a flawless 4-0, putting them at 7-1 on the year, with their only blemish coming in the first game of the season. While the seven game winning streak is impressive enough on its own, the context of this run makes it even more noteworthy.

The most memorable moment of this streak came in the Monday night game against the Washington Redskins, where Drew Brees, our surgeon of a quarterback, carved up a tough Washington defense and messed around and broke the record for most passing yards in a career, surpassing Peyton Manning’s mark of 71,940 yards. Setting records is nothing new to Brees, but this one was special. Those lucky enough to attend that record-setting performance in the Superdome will never forget that experience.

After a bye week following the Washington game, the Saints set off to take on the Baltimore Ravens, the only team Brees had never beaten during his illustrious career. Saints teams of old would have folded on the road against the best defense in the league, one who had not allowed a second-half touchdown to that point, but the Saints proved they were built different this year. A game defined by defense and gritty football, the Saints eventually prevailed, thanks in part to divine luck pushing a Justin Tucker extra point wide as the Ravens looked to tie late in the fourth.

Another tough matchup followed when they traveled back to the scene of last year’s tragedy in Minnesota. In a game where Brees played like a Browns quarterback (s/o Baker Mayfield, though), and only threw for 120 yards and his first interception of the year, the Saints were left to lean on superstar running back Alvin Kamara, ultimate-weapon Taysom Hill and unlikely defensive contributions, such as a P.J. Williams pick-six, to pull out this victory. This 30-20 victory over the Vikings showed that the Saints are no longer that one-dimensional team of years past- they can beat you in whichever way they feel.

The most impressive win of the season, however, came this weekend as the Saints took down the previously undefeated Los Angeles Rams 45-35.

The Saints took their offense to the next level, carving up a Rams defense that features stars such as Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh. Brees effortlessly tossed for 346 yards and four touchdowns in a classic Drew Brees performance that shows why he is one of the best to ever do it. Kamara shredded the Rams’ front-line for three touchdowns, all in the first half (!), and over 130 total yards.

The most exciting performance of the day, however, was wide receiver Mike Thomas, who caught a dozen passes for 211 yards and a touchdown that pulled the Saints into a double-digit lead late in the fourth. His play was not the most memorable moment of the night, though. After his score, Thomas set his status as a New Orleans legend when he pulled a flip-phone, which he said he got at a liquor store, from under the goalpost, paying homage to Saints legend Joe Horn. After the game, the team celebrated the big dub by bumping Baton Rouge rapper NBA Youngboy in the locker room.

Damn. Our team is clean as hell.

This season, the Saints have proven that they are not only the best team in the NFL, but are also for the culture. Whether it’s wearing solja rags in pregame, an ode to New Orleans rapper Juvenile, or recreating Joe Horn’s infamous burner phone celebration, there is more to appreciate from this great season than just the games.

A memorable season in New Orleans continues this weekend when they look to make it eight straight against the Cincinnati Bengals. Since the Saints have apparently decided that losing is overrated, look for another exciting game which will probably end in a victory for the good guys.