0: The number of punts the Saints had on their first nine drives, which ended in seven touchdowns and two field goals. It’s also the number of third downs the Saints faced on their first three drives as they carved up the hapless Colts’ defense with ridiculous ease. It’s also the number of Pro-Bowl skill position players Drew Brees has played with in New Orleans. That will change at the end of this year when tight end Jimmy Graham (two TDs against Indianapolis) starts for the NFC. And, of course, it’s the number of wins for the Colts with Peyton Manning sidelined by a neck injury. Just pray Brees never suffers a serious injury.
1: The number of points the Saints were shy of the franchise record for points in a first half. When they settled for field goals on their final two drives, they headed to the locker room with 34 points. Incredibly, the regular-season record for New Orleans is held by the 1980 1-15 team, which jumped out to a 35-7 halftime lead against San Francisco before losing 38-35 in overtime, falling to 0-14. The Saints also scored 35 in the first half of their divisional round playoff win versus Arizona in 2009.
2: The number of the seed the Saints will get in the NFC playoffs. Book it. It’s lock city. They can’t catch Green Bay, which is undefeated and holds the tiebreaker, but they are better than anyone else in the NFC. Despite some vulnerability on defense, they are too potent on offense to lose more than five games and probably will do better than that. No one else is good enough to match that. San Francisco? The 49ers are a nice story, but Alex Smith ain’t going 12-4. Detroit? Atlanta and Tampa Bay? Not consistent enough. The Lions have no running game and have lost two in a row at home. The entire NFC East is a mess.
6: The number of touchdown passes Manning tossed the last time the Colts played in the Superdome, a 55-21 Indianapolis victory in 2003. After seven games this year, his replacements have combined for seven. They had none against the Saints, unless you count the interception Leigh Torrence returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Watching from the sideline, Manning had to be sick to the stomach.
13: The number of combined losses, with zero wins, for the Colts and St. Louis Rams, New Orleans’ opponents tonight and next Sunday. Coming off a disappointing loss to Tampa Bay last week, the Saints took out their frustrations on the Colts and will want to do the same to the Rams.
32: The number of first downs the Saints had by the end of the third quarter, tying a franchise record for an entire game. Brees left with 32 seconds in the third quarter, and Mark Ingram picked up the 33rd first down less than a minute into the fourth quarter with a 20-yard run. The Saints finished with 36, three off the NFL record. Aside from a 57-yard gain on a screen pass by Pierre Thomas, New Orleans did not have a gain of 40 yards, slicing and dicing its way up the field while moving the chains repeatedly.
43: The jersey number of Darren Sproles who continues to excel in his first year in New Orleans. Forget the Reggie Bush comparisons. This guy is an every-down back capable of a 1,000-yard season in a system where he got more carries. He won’t in New Orleans because Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas are good in their own right, but he does everything well. He finished with 82 yards on 10 carries and also had a touchdown catch.
62: The number of points the Saints scored, shattering, you guessed it, the franchise record, and tying the mark for any team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. New Orleans’ previous mark of 51 was set more than once and tied most recently in a 2008 primetime game against Green Bay. The final score of 62-7 matched the worst result in New Orleans history, when Atlanta crushed the Saints by the same score at Tulane Stadium in 1973. Obviously, it also was the Saints’ largest margin of victory, beating a 42-0 whipping they handed John Elway and Denver in 1988.
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