This article is part of our NFL Observations series.
So that didn't go as I had hoped. I had the Saints -7.5 ATS and Alvin Kamara and the Saints defense down eight against Emmanuel Sanders in the NFFC Primetime. I would have installed myself as a 3:1 favorite to go 5-0, but I fell seven points short, thanks in part to Michael Thomas punching some guy and missing the game, making Sanders the guy. I got bailed out when the Sanders TD in the first half was reversed, and I briefly had hope when I saw Alvin Kamara return the kick in overtime -- because I had him and the defense, it would've been worth 12 points had he taken it to the house.
- I watched the condensed 40-minute version of the game this morning, and they accidentally edited out the Keenan Allen TD. I still haven't seen it. Allen also left the game with a back injury and didn't return.
- Justin Herbert (268 yards, four TDs, no picks, three sacks) looks like the real deal, showing poise, arm strength and accuracy. Amazing the Chargers had no idea he was ready. It's not quite as bad as the Texans starting the barbaric Tom Savage over Deshaun Watson, though. Herbert's 40 time (4.68) was also faster than Josh Allen's (4.75), incidentally.
- With Allen out, Mike Williams (8-5-109-2) had a monster game. Not only did he score twice, but he made the play to set up what could have been a game-winning field goal too. Williams has lived up to his 2017 seventh-overall draft pedigree whenever he's been healthy, but he's such a massive target for DBs, he takes a ton of big hits.
- Justin Jackson (15-71-0, 6-5-23) looked competent against a good run defense.
- Drew Brees was channeling Philip Rivers last night, with a bad pick, some missed throws and a complete lack of arm strength or mobility. Even the 41-yard TD to Jared Cook was a little short, but worked out fine because Cook was so wide open. The Saints and Colts are pretty similar actually with good offensive lines and defenses, but a declining QB that's holding them back. (I still think Rivers is worse, but like the Colts the Saints ceiling is probably capped.)
- Kamara (11-45-0, 10-8-74) got his usual workload, but couldn't break a lot of big plays and didn't get any goal-line work. Sanders (14-12-122) did his best Thomas impression -- it sure seems easy to have a high catch rate with short throws from Brees in this system.
- The Saints return game was surprisingly good even without Deonte Harris. Some guy named Marquez Callaway looked like he might break one on every return. It's odd how some teams always have that guy, while others seem to go decades without making it past the 25-yard line.
