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The Saints were able to bounce back from the Dallas loss last week Drew Brees Jersey White , but it took a half for the whole team to get on the same page."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections InterviewsNew Orleans Saints SatireWho Dat HistoryCanal Street Chronicles TutorialSaints vs. Buccaneers: Week 14 quick observationsNew,5commentsThe Saints were able to bounce back from the Dallas loss last week, but it took a half for the whole team to get on the same page.ByDon KellumDec 10, 2018,7:29pm CST@DonKellumShareTweetShareShareSaints vs. Buccaneers: Week 14 quick observationsKevin Jairaj-USA TODAY SportsIt was the second week in a row that the offense came out with a slow start. The Buccaneers defense was able to keep the the Saints from having easy third downs and limited the Saints to only 3 points in the first half. Luckily the defense continues its dominance and kept the game competitive until the team got a spark of energy from a crowd-favorite player. Here are some quick observations. Running awayFor the second week in a row, the Saints gave up yards to a mobile quarterback. Just like last week against Dak Prescott, Jameis Winston was able to keep his offense on the field by using his legs to pick up first downs. Next week the Saints go to Carolina, where they will face Cam Newton, who is one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the league. Dennis Allen may choose to put a spy on Newton for parts of the game next Monday. Apple bounces backEli Apple had a nice bounce back game against the Buccaneers this week and was playing with more confidence. Though it wasn’t a perfect game Womens Marcus Davenport Jersey , he was exactly what we traded for— a reliable number two next to Marshon Lattimore. He gave up a couple catches, but also had solid coverage for much of the game and was able to get a PBU (pass breakup) that prevented a first down.The needed sparkTaysom Hill may not have been used as much in the offense in recent weeks, but he still makes contributions on specials teams. His punt block was the turning point in this game, setting the offense up with great field position to get into the end zone for the first time all game. Hill and Alex Okafor will run a stunt on the left side of the line. Hill is lined up on the outside, with Alex Okafor to the right of him. Okafor will penetrate to the outside shoulder of the blocker on the end of the offensive line, while Hill will loop around him to the inside of where he has an open lane for the block. Usual SuspectsSo much for relying on undrafted players to make plays for the offense. The game was put on the shoulders of Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara once again as they combined for 134 receiving yards. The rest of the offense could only muster 67 yards on eight receptions. Benjamin Watson and Keith Kirkwood added a couple receptions, but rookie Tre’Quan Smith had another drop this week that could have resulted in a big play. The flea-flicker was set up nicely, but the the safety was bale to knock the ball out of Smith’s hands. This will be week two he’s in Payton’s doghouse. The Saints should look to continue to clean things up as they go into their prime time match-up next Monday against the division rival Carolina Panthers. It will be their third straight week on the road and they will face a team that’s hungry for a win after losing five games in a row. Offense wins championships in the new NFL.For the first time since the league expanded to 32 teams in 2002, none of the teams playing this weekend in the conference title game has a defense ranked in the top 10 in total yards. Only New England is among the top 10 in fewest points allowed.But the Chiefs Tre'Quan Smith Jersey White , Patriots, Saints and Rams do possess the four most prolific offenses in the league. That’s the first time the four highest-scoring teams play for the conference championship during the Super Bowl era.It’s fitting one of those teams will win the Vince Lombardi Trophy because offense dominated in 2018. The 1,371 touchdowns scored were the most in a season in league history and the 11,952 points scored were the second-most ever.The two teams with the stingiest defenses reached the playoffs — Chicago and Baltimore — but lost at home in the wild-card round.“You have explosive players in the postseason, guys who are extremely talented, guys who are represented in the Pro Bowl, the All-Pro team,” Saints coach Sean Payton said Wednesday.The success starts at quarterback with Tom Brady, Drew Brees Womens Alvin Kamara Jersey , Patrick Mahomes and Jared Goff leading the way. Brady’s Patriots are the only team of the four that didn’t average at least 30 points, scoring 27.3. Kansas City led the way at 35.3 with Mahomes throwing 50 touchdown passes. Los Angeles was next at 32.9 and New Orleans averaged 31.5.Elite QBs aren’t the only thing these teams have in common. The Rams, Patriots and Saints were among the top six in rushing.C.J. Anderson (123) and Todd Gurley (115) had big games as Los Angeles ran for 273 yards in a 30-22 win against Dallas in the divisional round.Sony Michel ran for 129 yards and three TDs in New England’s 41-28 victory over the Chargers last week. Brady also threw for 343 yards.Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram combined for 124 yards rushing as New Orleans held on to beat Philadelphia 20-14. Brees had 301 yards passing and two scores.“They can beat you in both ways, they can run it or they can throw it,” Rams coach Sean McVay said of the Saints. “That’s what really presents such a great challenge because they’ve got a Hall of Fame quarterback and they got an elite running back, and they’ve got a great system.”The Chiefs were in the middle of the pack on the ground during the season, but Damien Williams had 129 yards in a 31-13 rout over the Colts.“Andy’s an offensive coach so the offensive plays they get on special teams and the offensive plays they get on offense, when you combine all of that together, it’s a lot of firepower and a lot of explosive plays Michael Thomas Saints Jersey ,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of the Chiefs. “Andy’s teams are always tough, well-disciplined. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. They make you beat them and that’s hard to do because they’re sound, and he gets good players and he coaches them well and they’re tough.”Other than Belichick, each team has offensive-minded coaches. Payton, Reid and McVay earned their way on that side of the ball. The 32-year-old McVay is the youngest coach to win a playoff game.Both games are rematches from thrilling, high-scoring contests in the regular season.The Patriots (12-5) beat the Chiefs (14-3) 43-40 at home in October. The Saints (14-3) defeated the Rams (14-3) 45-35 at home in November.Here’s a look inside more numbers heading into championship Sunday:THREE’S COMPANY: The Patriots are trying to join Buffalo (1990-93) and Miami (1971-73) as the third team to reach the Super Bowl three consecutive seasons.HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE: If the Saints and Chiefs win, it’ll be the 14th time since 1975 that the two top seeds meet in the Super Bowl and the fifth time in six years.