CBS Sports’ Phil Simms expects Saints will have extra motivation when facing Chiefs
The Saints traveled to Philadelphia last Sunday carrying a prodigious streak for stopping opposing running backs.
New Orleans had not allowed a running back to reach the 100-yard mark in 55 straight games. In a blink, it was gone.
The three-win Eagles had two players run for more than 100 yards in a 24-21 win over the Saints. Running back Miles Sanders rushed for 115 yards in 14 carries and quarterback Jalen Hurts had 106 yards on the ground in 18 attempts.
The loss knocked New Orleans from the top spot in the NFC playoff field, and NFL on CBS analyst Phil Simms believes the manner of the defeat will motivate them even more for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs.
“The one thing that helps the Saints, they played so bad last week that they have to be super in-tuned, ... even more than ever,” Simms, the former Giants quarterback, said this week. “I don’t know if somebody forgot to put the memo out that Jalen Hurts can run. And maybe that’s the main thing he’s good at. And they just flew up the field and he ran through lanes and stuff, and I mean, I didn’t quite understand it, but that’s what happened.
“So when you lose and especially when you lose maybe because of your side of the football, it usually really gets your attention, and you are just in a mood. I remember that as a player I just would be in a (bad) mood all week long to where that’s all I could think about. I never got off of it because you’re angry and everything else and you’re extremely focused on what you’re trying to get done.
“So I think the Chiefs are going to play a team that is going to have motivation that’s as big as you can get for a football team, I really do believe that.”
New Orleans, which had a nine-game winning streak snapped, still has the second-ranked defense, allowing an average of 298.4 yards per game, and the Saints have the No. 4 scoring defense (20.4 points per game).
So the Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be facing a formidable defense again.
And the Saints offense, which is seventh in scoring (28.3 ppg), will have future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees back. He had missed four straight games (broken ribs, collapsed lung).
That sets up the Brees vs. Mahomes narrative for Sunday’s game, which kicks off at 3:25 p.m. and will air on CBS (Ch. 5). But Simms also is interested in the coaching matchup: Chiefs’ Andy Reid vs. Saints’ Sean Payton.
“Two of the greatest offensive minds in the history of football, and you can’t even argue it,” Simms said. “Sean Payton, there’s not a quarterback alive that wouldn’t want to play for him, because you might not win every game, but you can always put up good numbers, and people are gonna say, ‘Oh look at him, his quarterback rating,’ I mean it’s incredible. And it’s almost like you’re shocked that a backup quarterback (Taysom Hill) lost for him.”
Simms noted that Payton played quarterback at Eastern Illinois and briefly as a professional.
“He really sees the whole position being played through his eyes as a quarterback,” Simms said. “And then Andy Reid, it’s the same thing. He’s going to adapt to the quarterback. I’ve never seen anything like it. And I’ve watched him do it with every different player. I’ve watched him do it with Donovan (McNabb), with Alex Smith, and of course, with Mahomes.
“(Reid) adapts according to the talent and just does a great job. His creativity is greater than anybody else, or I should say the showmanship of the whole thing. That’s probably the word to say for it (showmanship). You know, all the movement, the reverses, fakes ...”
That creativity or showmanship serves to help the offensive line, Simms added. And the Chiefs have concerns in that area heading into Sunday’s game. Starting tackles Eric Fisher and Mike Remmers have back ailments. Mitchell Schwartz hasn’t played because of an injury since the Chiefs beat Buffalo on Oct. 19.
Simms said Reid’s deep playbook (“Their practices must be fun,” Simms noted) keep defenses off-balance and that helps the offensive linemen.
“It takes great pressure off of your offensive line,” Simms said. “Because, (defenses say), ‘What are they doing? We’re all hesitant, we gotta react, we can’t just attack and and then there’s a mobile quarterback with it.’ And all of a sudden, the offensive linemen are let off the hook. And it’s really interesting. It’s almost like invest in skilled positions, and the offensive line is gonna look a lot better.”
