NEW ORLEANS -- They scuffled and scuttled and tried to stay one step ahead of the sheriff.
In the New Orleans Saints' case, they survived the long arm of the NFL's law of averages.
They remain one of two unbeaten teams in pro football.
The Saints did just about everything they could to let the Atlanta Falcons back in the game on Monday night in the Louisiana Superdome. There were times when they couldn't stand prosperity, and there were times that they couldn't put some distance between themselves and the visitors from Georgia.
And then there were the last eight or nine minutes, when the Saints again found a way to rise to the occasion, when the Saints stared defeat right in the face and lived to tell about it.
The Saints turned back the Falcons 35-27 to take a three-game lead in the NFC South.
The Saints led by two touchdowns at halftime, after they drove the length of the field in just six plays and returned yet another interception for a score in the final 70 seconds of the second quarter. They had not played that well, certainly not at the level of the rout of the New York Giants two weeks ago, and not with the pluck of the inspired comeback just eight days earlier against the Miami Dolphins.
They just knew what they had to do.
They had to make a play on defense, after Pierre Thomas fumbled the ball away at the Saints' 35-yard line. They did just that when Jonathan Vilma tipped a Matt Ryan pass and second-year cornerback Tracy Porter made the interception just a yard or two from the Saints' end zone. They got the ball back and had to put points on the board -- preferably a touchdown, because that would put the game away _a nd they too did just that.
Drew Brees took the Saints 81 yards in 11 plays for their only touchdown of the second half, when the Falcons had played their way back into the game and threatened to pull within one game of the Saints in the NFC South.
The Saints wanted no part of that.
The Saints wanted to match the best start in franchise history, and they wanted to send a message to the rest of the NFL.
The message, best I can tell, is that the Saints know they can win even when they're not on top of their game, even when they fumble inside their 5-yard line and miss 37-yard field goals and give up big chunks of yards in the passing game. And more important, of course, is they know how to win.
The Saints picked up seasoned veterans like Darren Sharper and Jebari Greer in the secondary during the offseason. They hired a big-time defensive coordinator in Gregg Williams. They finally realized they're not going to pound on opponents with Reggie Bush between the tackles.
They know how to play to their strengths and they know Brees can bail them out of some pretty precarious situations. They know Thomas is a tough customer and Brees went his way after his critical fumble, finding the third-year back from Illinois on a swing pass for a 1-yard scoring pass to put the Saints in front by 11 points with about three minutes left.
The Saints had some sloppy moments down the stretch, losing a third fumble and failing to recover an onside kick, but again, they lived to tell about it.
Their next opponent, the Carolina Panthers, will roll into town in a few days with a 3-4 record. They've had their share of struggles this season.
I'm thinking the Saints will know what they've got to do to win that one, too.
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