Saints forced to pass road tests
Qwest Field in Seattle has gained a reputation as one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL. (Sept. 12, 2010) Credit: AP
SEATTLE - A year ago, the New Orleans Saints rode the raucous enthusiasm of the Superdome through the NFC playoffs to the first Super Bowl victory in franchise history.
If these Saints are going to get all the way back to the league's title game, they'll be asked to do it on the road. The first stop on their postseason road trip begins Saturday in Seattle against the Seahawks in the first round of the NFC playoffs.
The defending champs, an 11-win team this season, had to travel 2,100 miles during a short week to face the first division champs in league history with a losing record - a team the Saints beat, 34-19, in Week 11.
"We all have a formula for getting in. We all know ahead of time. No one was upset about it or complaining about it before the start of the season," Saints coach Sean Payton said.
But the task in front of the Saints as the No. 5 seed in the NFC became seemingly more difficult as the week progressed.
There's the second straight short week, having played at Atlanta Dec. 27 and at home vs. Tampa Bay six days later before taking off Thursday to make the five-hour flight to Seattle.
There's their history. They've never won away from the Superdome in the playoffs. And injuries. They placed their top two rushers - Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas - on injured reserve. Only Reggie Bush and Julius Jones are healthy running backs from the regular season. - AP
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