There are very few teams that can keep up with the New Orleans Saints' offense. The Buffalo Bills aren't one of them.
Drew Brees threw for 332 yards and five touchdowns as the Saints overcame a slow start to roll to a 35-17 win. What a difference a year makes for the 6-1 Saints, who were 2-5 at this point last season.
The Bills drop to 3-5 with the loss, but we imagine coach Doug Marrone is satisfied with his team's effort. The Bills hung around as long as they could, but the Saints are going to be difficult for anyone to beat in the Superdome this season.
Here's what else we learned:
- Keep an eye on Drew Brees as a sleeper candidate in the MVP race. The All-Pro quarterback is on pace for another monster statistical season. If Peyton Manning comes back to the pack a little, Brees will be in good position.
- Saints tight end Jimmy Graham was able to make an impact despite that bothersome foot injury. Graham's snaps were limited, but he scored touchdowns on two of his three receptions. He only played one snap in the second half. Naturally, he scored a touchdown.
- Kenny Stills was the 17th wide receiver taken in the 2013 NFL Draft. He's continuing to show why he could end up being one of the draft's best bargains. Stills enjoyed his best game as a pro, finishing with three catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns. His deep ball chemistry with Brees is growing.
- Thad Lewis opened the game for the Bills running the read-option. That page in the playbook was turned after Lewis lost a fumble on a crunching hit from Saints linebacker David Hawthorne. To Lewis' credit, he recovered from a slow -- and painful -- start to make some plays.
- Respect to Steve Johnson, the Bills wide receiver refused to shut it down Sunday despite spending most of his day on one leg. He finished with seven catches for 72 yards and a score, quite an achievement given his physical limitations.
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