New Orleans Saints' playoff hopes on the line Sunday against the Tampa Bay Bucs in the Dome

Saints' QB Drew Brees

Denver Broncos' record setting Peyton Manning

The 10-5 New Orleans Saints facing a key challenge Sunday are in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome hosting the 4-11 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 3:25 kick off. On the line is a playoff berth with a Saints' victory, while on the other hand a loss would knock the Black & Gold out of the playoff picture. However, a Saints' win coupled with a possible Atlanta Falcons upset victory over the NFC South leading 11-4 Carolina Panthers would give New Orleans the No. 2 seed along with a bye and home field advantage in the upcoming playoffs. Needless to say there is an awful lot at stake riding on Sunday's contest with the Bucs in the Dome.  The Saints earned a 16-14 victory over Tampa Bay back on September 15 on the road .During Wednesday's practice quarterback Drew Brees was limited in practice due to what was listed as a bruised knew. The Saints received good news yesterday with Brees appearing to practice uninhibited by his knee. Saints' head coach Sean Payton said, "He's fine. He had a right knee bruise. There's nothing more to it than that. And yet we thought it was best (if) we limited the amount of snaps he's getting. We just felt like we had a day to do that," Payton added. Brees' name appeared on the Saints' injury list for the first time all season Wednesday with that issue concerning his knee. Brees is poised to lead his Saints in a must win situation concerning the playoffs. Brees is second in the league behind Denver's Peyton Manning passing for 4,781 yards completing 68.2 percent of his passes with a 101.8 quarterback efficiency rating. Brees has tossed 35 TD passes with 12 interceptions. The Saints' O-line must do a better job protecting him than in recent weeks as he has been sacked 36 times on the season. Manning has led his Broncos to the AFC West crown setting a new NFL touchdown pass record of 51, breaking Tom Brady's mark of 50 set back in 2007. Manning has thrown for 5,211 yards being picked off just 10 times with a QB rating of 113.0 second to Philadelphia's Nick Folse at 118.7. Manning is within reach of breaking Brees' NFL single season yardage record of 5,476 yards as he needs just 265 yards in Sunday's road finale against the Oakland Raiders to pass the mark set by Brees in 2011.    

Saints name rookie Terron Armstead starting left tackle

Saints' rookie third-round draft pick Terron Armstead named as starting left tackle.

The Saints' brain trust, head coach Sean Payton, continues to make key decisions late in the season. Payton named rookie third-round draft pick Terron Armstead out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff as the starting left tackle, who will attempt to protect the blind side of Drew Brees in a critical road test against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Payton benched starting left tackle in last Sunday's 27-16 road loss to the St. Louis Rams after the coach said he had seen enough with Brown being beaten by the Rams' pass rush on play after play. Armstead, 6-5, 304 pounds, excited pro scouts as he ran the fastest 40-time by an offensive lineman in the history of the history of the NFL scouting combine, posting a 4.71 clocking. Payton said, "I think Terron's improved during the course of the season, being it taking scout-team reps, some work with the offense. Payton referred to Armstead as a talented, smart player. On the heels of releasing place kicker Garrett Hartley on Tuesday, Payton said, it was "real difficult" to release the six-year Saints' veteran kicker. "He's an extremely talented player, he's going to play in this league, I think, for quite a long time and have success," Payton added. Thirty-six year old veteran kicker Shayne Graham will take over for Hartley. In another move Tuesday, the Saints released veteran corner back Chris Carr and signed veteran safety Eric Frampton, who will see time on special teams. The 10-4 Saints are focused on traveling to Carolina to battle the Panthers with the winner taking the NFC South title and earning a No. 2 seed.     

New Orleans Saints hosting red-hot Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton in key NFC South showdown

The New Orleans Saints trying to put Monday night's embarrassing 34-7 debacle at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks behind them must now regroup quickly in a short week as they prepare to host the red-hot Carolina Panthers and the offensive challenges presented by quarterback Cam Newton. Both the Saints and the Panthers enter the game with 9-3 marks tied for the NFC South Division lead, while Carolina has won eight consecutive games to work themselves back into the Division race. Sunday's contest has been flexed into prime time based on the significance of the match up being played, hopefully in the friendly confines of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in front of the die-hard Black & Gold faithful, who are eager for the team to get back on the winning track. The Saints' offense struggled through its worst output since Sean Payton arrived in 2006, gaining just 188 yards of total offense against the stingy, aggressive Seattle defense. Drew Brees completed 23-of-38 passes mostly short variety and check down stuff, gaining only 147 yards through the air. Brees' 43-game streak of throwing for 200 or more yards in a game was snapped as he fell short of breaking Dan Fouts' NFL record 45 straight games with 200 yards passing.

Seattle Seahawks roll past lackluster New Orleans Saints

Saints' QB Drew Brees departs Century Link Field in Seattle following the Black & Gold's disappointing 34-7 thrashing by the Seahawks. Photo courtesy of the Associated Press.

The New Orleans Saints turned in a lackluster, puzzling performance last night on Monday Night
Football being outplayed in every phase by a dominant Seattle Seahawks' club, which earned a
stunning 34-7 victory over the Black & Gold in front of a vibrant Seattle 12th man home crowd. The fans established a new Guinness Book of World Records decibel noise level as the Century Link Field hometown crowd had plenty to cheer about as they raced out to a 17-0 lead and built a 27-7 halftime advantage with all the breaks going there way. Seattle talented second-year quarterback Russell Wilson played like a seasoned playoff veteran connecting on 22-of-30 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns. He was also the game's leading rusher with 47 yards on eight carries followed by Marshawn "The Beast" Lynch, who finished with 45 yards on 16 rushes. Seattle's defense pressured Saints' QB Drew Brees throughout and finished with a subpar night, hitting on 23-of-38 passes for a meager 147 yards as the New Orleans' normally potent offense was limited to just 188 yards of total offense. It was the lowest offensive output in the Sean Payton era, which began in 2006. Seattle moves to 11-1 and 14-0 at home not having lost since 2011 in their home park. The 9-3 Saints after getting off to a quick start and early lead in the NFC South Division find themselves tied with the Carolina Panthers. Cam Newton has put together eight consecutive wins for the Panthers as they invade the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for a key Sunday Night encounter with the Saints. The two teams also face off with each other two weeks later Dec. 22 in Carolina in what should prove to be another crucial battle for the NFC South Division crown. The Panthers' defense has also stepped up its play and has only allowed 157 points this season, 13 points per game.