17 years ago the New Orleans Saints shut out the New York Jets 12-0. That game took place on Christmas Eve in 1995. On December 16, 2012 the New Orleans Saints shut out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 41-0.
The Saints posted a shutout win for the first time since 1995.
“We’ve got the best fans in the National Football League. The way they have supported us through all that we have been though, we are proud that we were able to play well in front of our fans today,” said Saints Coach Joe Vitt following the victory.
In a week that featured more news about the pay-for-performance program, and Saints players and Coaches sounding off, the Black and Gold got it done where it mattered the most, and that was on the football field.
New Orleans played well on offense. They did a solid job on special teams, and the Saints defense put together one of their best performances in a very long time, as New Orleans dominated Tampa Bay 41-0.
A week after allowing a massive 52 points, the Saints did not allow Tampa to smell the end zone.
The numbers proved even more how big of a win this was for the Saints. Tampa gained only 96 yards in the first half, with just four first downs. And after three quarters of play the Saints defense was still holding on to a shutout, while the Bucs had only had one trip into the Saints “Red Zone.”
Tampa Bay had 13 offensive possessions in the game. Of those 13, the Saints defense forced five turnovers and made the Bucs punt four times. Two drives ended with turnovers on downs, with one drive ended the first half and the other ending the game.
Tampa tried to get into the end zone late in the game, but the Black and Gold defense would not allow Tampa to score. The Black and Gold posted the first shutout in the Superdome since 1991, when the Saints beat the Los Angeles Raiders 27-0.
Coming into the game Tampa Bay wide receiver Vincent Jackson and rookie Running Back Doug Martin were both putting up impressive numbers. Martin said the Saints did a good job of shutting the Bucs Offense down.
“They really made it a one dimensional game for us. We had to pass instead of focus on the run and that led us to keep getting behind and not do what we normally do on offense. That’s not how we’ve played this year and it was really tough out there for us today,” said Martin.
The Saints now move on to take on the Dallas Cowboys in a game that may be very exciting for the fans, but has far less meaning than once expected going into the season. The Saints will look to finish the season with an 8-8 record but need to win their last two games against Dallas and Carolina to achieve that record.
