Tyrann Mathieu wasn't jubilant when his teammate, running back Alvin Kamara, dropped what would have been a fourth-quarter, nail-in-the-coffin touchdown pass against Atlanta, which would have stretched the New Orleans Saints' lead from 20-17 to 27-17 with 1:48 left.
But the safety wasn't exactly crushed, either.
What Kamara unknowingly did was place the Saints defense in the position it desired, because it needed to prove it could do what it hadn't done.
Namely, the defense needed to come up with a game-winning stop, something it twice had failed to do earlier this season.
"That's a good feeling," Mathieu said. "Those types of situations, they kind of carry you into the next week. Obviously, it's a positive that we were able to get off the field and make a play."
Then, Mathieu cracked a small smile.
"Quite honestly, I'm kind of glad…I'm not 'glad' that Kamara dropped the ball," he said, "but I'm kind of glad that we had a chance to go back out there and then Ugo makes a great play for us."
Safety Ugo Amadi made a 1-yard tackle for loss on fourth-and-4 from the Saints' 43-yard line as time expired, and the Saints' defense had the conclusion it has sought.
Preaching "finish" began to ring a bit hollow for the unit until it was able to pack some substance behind the word against Atlanta.
New Orleans, 3-7 entering Sunday's game against Cleveland (2-7) in the Caesars Superdome, surrendered three fourth-quarter leads – to Philadelphia in a 15-12 decision, to Atlanta in a 26-24 loss in the first meeting, and to Carolina in a 23-22 decision – during its seven-game spiral.
So finishing off the Falcons in round two was as satisfying for the defense as could be imagined.
Leading 20-17 entering the fourth, the Saints defense forced a punt, an unsuccessful field-goal attempt, a turnover (Mathieu's interception), and Amadi's stop as the unit snuffed out Atlanta's four fourth-quarter possessions.
"It felt good," said defensive end Chase Young, who had a sack and forced fumble (Atlanta recovered) on the Falcons' final drive. "We'd been talking the whole week about finishing games, and I think we finished that game."
Linebacker Demario Davis, who finished with 10 tackles and a pass defended, made sure his teammates didn't forget the message or mission.
"He said it during the game, he said it throughout the week," Young said. "Our motto of the week was finishing games on our side of the ball.
"When you are up going into the fourth, your defense definitely has to come through, stopping them from putting points on the board. We're just going to keep working and try to do it against Cleveland as well."
Stringing together a series of like results is the next step for the defense.
"We feel great," Mathieu said. "We didn't play our best, so there's still things to improve on. But I think any time you're able to finish the game like that, as a defense that's a good feeling."
