Ghent Helps Saints in Victory Over Bengals
by Doug Miller
Ronnie Ghent celebrates a 1st quarter TD.Cincinnati, Ohio – The New Orleans Saints responded to a 31-27 loss last week in a big way this evening, when they shutout the Cincinnati Bengals, 13-0.
A week after struggling to get off the field on third downs, the Saints’ defense stepped up and allowed the Bengals to cross midfield only once (to the Saints’ 49 yard-line) and stopped the Bengals on all but four of their third downs (4-of-14-29%) and limited the home team to only 165 yards of total offense. In addition, the Saints sacked Cincy passers four times for -33 yards and intercepted a pass late in the game that sealed the shutout bid.
The Saints’ offense, conversely, racked up 458 yards of total offense. 15 different players caught passes on 27 attempts, and the Saints churned out 145 yards on the ground, as the team ran 74 total offensive plays at a clip of 6.2 yards per play for an average.
“I think having a strong showing in the preseason can provide the team with some confidence,” said Head Coach Sean Payton after the victory. “These games are important because we are working together and getting better and the defense took the things that we as a coaching staff pointed out and we corrected.”
Payton said he felt one of the keys to the game was the team’s ability to get off the field by creating some third-and-long situations. “We got them in some third-and-longs and I felt like we were sharp and particularly effective in finishing our tackles. Overall, it was a solid effort that I am pleased with for the most part.”
The Saints opened their third pre-season game of the 2008 season by marching 55 yards in nine plays and culminated the drive with a 42-yard field goal by Martin Gramatica, and then, using a 54-yard completion from Drew Brees to Robert Meachem, extended the lead to 10-0 midway through the first quarter. TE Ronnie Ghent, a former Bengals practice squad player, scored on a one-yard pass from Brees that gave the Saints a 10-0 lead just 6:03 into the game. It would be the only scoring until late in the third quarter, when rookie K Taylor Melhaff drilled a 44-yard field goal that extended the Saints’ lead to 13-0.
The Saints’ defense, on the other hand, allowed only 94 yards of total offense on six possessions in the first half and forced punts on each of them, with their deepest penetration having been to the Saints’ 49.
"It is important to get ready for the regular season and get the confidence going," said Kaesviharn. "We were flying around out there and swarming guys and making plays. It was fun to see. The things that we worked on and the coaches were on us all week to improve is the result we came up with tonight. It's encouraging."
