Deuce talks about Saints, Ivory

So, I was talking to Deuce McAllister this morning and the conversation turned immediately to the Saints' 31-27 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

I told Deuce I hadn't seen anybody in a Saints uniform run like Chris Ivory did Sunday since Deuce himself.

“You are not the first to mention that,” Deuce said. “I take that as a compliment. Ivory is running angrily and violently. That one run was special. He showed speed, agility and power. You can tell he was running with a chip on his shoulder.”

Deuce was talking about Ivory's 56-yard run for the Saints's first touchdown after the Falcons had taken a 10-0 lead. Ivory made Falcon defensive backs look like toy soldiers on that run, breaking several tackles.

It was the Saints longest touchdown run since, well, since Deuce went 57 yards against the Bucs in 2006.

The victory knocked the Falcons from the unbeaten ranks and raised the Saints to 4-5 on the season. It also has rekindled some talk of the Saints somehow reaching the playoffs.

Such talk, McAlister says, is premature.

“The Saints have got to win some games, period,” he said. “Win these next two, beat Oakland at Oakland and San Francisco at home, and then they can be part of the discussion. But they've dug themselves a deep, deep hole. This isn't going to be easy.”

My take: 9-7 might get the Saints a wildcard berth. A 10-6 record would for sure, but that would require the Saints to win six of their last seven. It's possible, but not likely.

Sunday's game showed how important it is for the Saints to run the ball successfully, to take some of the load of both Drew Brees and the defense. Ivory gave them a spark and a badly needed one at that.