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The New Orleans Saints reached their bye week with a 1-3 record, thanks to their improbable 35-34 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday after scoring two touchdowns in the final five minutes. The win aside, the Saints couldn't celebrate that much as they were oh-so-close to looking at an 0-4 start if not for back-to-back fumbles by the Chargers deep in their own territory.
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Make no mistake: A 1-3 record is better than being winless through the first quarter of the season.
The Saints, who are just one of 13 teams to start 1-3, know they'll have a lot of work to do when they return to work on Monday for a bonus practice in advance of their Oct. 16 matchup with the Carolina Panthers.
The funny thing is despite a defense that's been ravaged by injuries and has given up a lot of yardage and points, the Saints know they could easily be sitting here with a 3-1 mark.
"It's pretty normal in this league," coach Sean Payton said of the New Orleans' rough start. "We knew starting the season (that) we were going to play in some hard-fought games. We have to find a way to be better.
"The encouraging thing (Sunday), there's a handful of things we didn't do well. But the encouraging thing was we finished. We got some momentum, we got some takeaways and capitalized on those turnovers."
It certainly was a welcome sight after the first three weeks.
The Saints fell to the Oakland Raiders 35-34 in the season opener when the latter scored a touchdown to pull within one point with 47 seconds to play and coach Jack Del Rio successfully gambled on a two-point conversion.
The next week, the Saints' put up a surprisingly strong fight on defense on the road, holding the New York Giants' offense to three field goals (their only touchdown came on a blocked field goal) in a 16-13 loss.
In a 45-32 loss to the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons, however, the Saints allowed five consecutive touchdown drives and a field goal. The Falcons clinched the win by returning an interception 90 yards for a touchdown.
"There is enough veteran leadership in this room and players that understand how difficult it is to win each week, and yet, how attainable it can be," Payton said. "Certainly, getting that win (at San Diego) is a boost of confidence, and we needed it."
