METAIRIE, La. -- When the New Orleans Saints ruled out running back Alvin Kamara and tight end Jared Cook on Friday -- in addition to quarterback Drew Brees -- at least half a dozen Saints and NFL analysts made some version of the same decree:
If the Saints go into Chicago and win this week, you might as well hand Sean Payton the Coach of the Year award on the spot.
Well, the Saints didn’t just beat the Bears. They dismantled them with a 36-25 win that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated.