Ugly win ties franchise record for consecutive wins

This 28-23 victory over the Rams, who averaged nine points a game going into this match up, wasn't pretty, but true Who Dats will take this win and many more like it. (Make that a couple.) And that's because any win on any given Sunday is a win -- just ask the Colts.

More on that later.

Not since 1987, when Bobby Hebert was quarterback and the Dome Patrol was gelling, have the Saints won nine straight games. That's the franchise record. But this Saints team has obviously reached that mark in its first nine games. That Saints team did it after a 3-3 start before losing to the Vikings in the playoffs. (The last of the 15-game regular seasons.)

Reggie Bush was in Stealth Bomber mode against the Rams. With some big-yardage runs and two touchdowns to his name, here he flys over Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe for a three-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Tied at 14-14 to start the second half, jshox began contemplating the Any Given Sunday mantra and for at least half a minute felt it was OK for the Saints' undefeated record to skid to a halt against a one-win team in their dome. And then Courtney Roby took the second-half kickoff for an untouched tear down the left sideline and jshox realized the specter of the Saints dropping a gimme to the Rams was unfathomable.

A possesion later, after Reggie gashed up the middle for 55 yards to the Rams' 22, the Saints were poised to go up 28-17 when Drew Brees hitched a short pass to Marques Colston crossing over the middle with much of the right side of his field clear of defenders. But there was Atogwe meeting Colston at the goal line and redeeming himself with a forced fumble by putting his helmet on the ball which Colston outstretched with a promising leap for the end zone. The ball dribbled for a touchback -- Rams possesion at their 20.

Give Colston credit for the effort despite the lack of ball security. I'm sure a veteran like Colston has learned a valuable lesson.

Take a look back there. Can you see jshox and Robert Meachem celebrating? One possesion after the Colston fumble and the Saints march right back down the field and score with a dandy of a pass of about 30 yards from Brees to Meachem, after he beat two defenders to the end zone. (In the foreground is Rams cornerback Ronald Buntell.)

Defensive end Will Smith racked up another sack today, while his counterpart Charles Grant played a respectable run-defense game. Smith now has 7.5 sacks after nine games -- Who Dat! Here he sacks Marc Bulger and forces a fumble:

Smith and Grant were bright spots on the defense with missing action from free safety Darren Sharper, cornerback Jabari Greer, tackle Sedrick Ellis, and in the second half cornerback Tracy Porter. Porter appeared to have sustained a substantial knee injury after suffering from friendly fire from free safety Usama Young when both defensive backs were trying to make a tackle. Porter had to be escorted off the field and eventually carted to the locker room.

Early speculation is figuring Porter ruptured an ACL and could be out for the season, which downright sucks. Porter, a native of Port Allen and a lifelong Saints fan, has developed into a premiere cornerback, a position where the Saints lacked depth in previous years, and was looking forward to a full season after proving his worth last year as a rookie but missing about the last five games due to a broken wrist.

Porter, you're one of my personal favorites. I hope you get healthy and see action again this season.

As for rookie Malcom Jenkins, first-round draft pick cornerback out of Ohio State, now it's time to earn your paycheck. Dude, we need you to step up big time. Just like how Porter did as a rookie when we were fishing for anyone to play bigger than former cornerback Jason David.

Is Mike McKenzie for hire? Seriously, dude is available and likely in game shape. Hell, Denver signed Ty Law about a week ago -- why not Mike?

Will Smith, Usama Young and D'Juan Woods celebrate a Rams fourth-quarter stop. (All photos by AP.) Bring on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week for a franchise record 10-straight wins before taking on Golden Boy and the New England Pattycakes.

That reminds me: I loved watching the Patriots lose to the Colts tonight. I threw in the towel on the Colts after they had fallen 31-14 in the fourth quarter and fell asleep on the couch, but sniffed a possible comeback with about three minutes left in the game and they were down by six. My wife, who has incrementally learned a little more about football each year over the past few seasons after knowing or caring for nothing about it, originally, also sniffed a comeback and turned up the TV when I rubbed my eyes and said "WTF?" And then just a couple of plays later it happened: Darth Vaderchick went for fourth and two on his own 28 and the Patriots failed on the conversion and the rest is history: Colts win in the waning minute and hand the Patriots their most ignominious defeat in the Golden Boy-Darth Vaderchick era. That I can clap for.