Gumbo
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- Mar 19, 2019
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The Saints improved to 5-1 with a 13-6 win over the Jaguars that showed the team’s ability to grind out a win behind a strong defensive performance.
New Orleans has won four games in a row and they haven’t always followed the same script. They gave up 514 yards in a 33-27 win over the Seahawks, didn’t score a touchdown the next week while beating the Cowboys and then outlasted the Buccaneers in a 34-27 win in Week Five. According to the team, the common thread is that the team is able to do what’s needed each week.
Defensive end Marcus Davenport said “our game is to adapt to what happens on Sunday” and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins echoed that approach.
“No matter what it takes to win, you do it,” Rankins said, via Larry Holder of TheAthletic.com. “I think that trickles down to everyone else. Obviously, that’s a sign of a good team. Of course you have your leaders, but there has to be followers. You can’t lead nobody. Everyone falls in line. It shows on gameday. You get into the rhythm of the game and you get that feel and you feel, ‘It’s going to be a low-scoring one.’ Every play counts. Every possession counts. Or everybody gets into that mode, ‘Damn, it’s going to be a shootout. We just got to come up with the timely stop we need.’ I think we do a great job of recognizing the situations throughout the game.”
The Saints showed a similar ability to roll with the punches from week to week while going 13-3 and nabbing the top seed in the NFC last season. The first six weeks of this season have done little to suggest that they can’t wind up in a similar place this year.