• BY TERRIN WAACK | STAFF WRITER

The defensive line is the first domino to fall, and how it falls dictates the overall ripple.

On Sunday, the New Orleans Saints defensive line executed its job and therefore the entire defense was successful. So much so, the Saints notched just their eighth shutout inside the Caesars Superdome, blanking the Las Vegas Raiders 24-0. Opponents had otherwise been averaging 28.6 points per game against the Saints.

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Jeff Duncan (Season record: 3-4)

Raiders 30, Saints 27: In what appears to be a battle of evenly-matched teams, I’ll go with the healthier team. The Raiders are much better than their record indicates, and they have more offensive firepower than the Saints right now. An inspired effort by the Saints falls short down the stretch. Sound familiar?

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Thoughs ?

The New Orleans Saints gave Latavius Murray a chance to show what he could still do, and the Denver Broncos will benefit from that. 

After Denver’s young running back Javonte Williams was lost for the season with a knee injury, the Broncos signed Murray off the Saints practice squad, according to an NFL Network report. 

This will be one of the easier Key Ingredients of the season, so let’s get to it for Sunday’s New Orleans Saints game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

1. TREASURE THE BALL: NFL teams that commit five turnovers in a game don’t win many games. That may not be a 100 percent guarantee, but the number of times in NFL history that a team has been able to overcome five turnovers and win probably can be counted on fingers and toes. Quarterback Jameis Winston not only threw three interceptions, but he also was sacked six times. Neither of those numbers is acceptable, especially the former. His No. 1 job is ball security and if Winston cleans up his play, the offense should follow. Interceptions weren’t an issue in his first eight starts with the Saints (he totaled three in those games), so getting back to low numbers in that category is a reasonable assumption.

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New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) works during the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sep. 11, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Danny Karnik)Danny Karnik