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Sean Payton's first opportunity to call plays came against a well-coached Jets team nearly 22 years ago to the date when the Saints take the field against New York on Sunday.

Payton was working as the Giants quarterbacks coach in 1999 but had not yet called plays in the NFL, and head coach Jim Fassel typically handled those duties. But when Fassel's mother passed away in early December of that season, Fassel turned to his quarterbacks coach instead of offensive coordinator Jim Skipper to call plays against the Jets that week.

The Giants dominated with Payton pulling the strings. The offense gained 490 yards during the 41-28 victory. The performance was so convincing that Fassel announced after the game that he was relinquishing play-calling duties to Payton.

Reading recaps about the game is a little humorous because the things Payton is quoted as saying sound almost exactly something he'd say after a game this season. The coach's ideals seem to be something he developed very early on during his coaching career, and he has held onto them ever since.

"All week long, we tried to stay ahead of third downs," Payton said after that 1999 game. "Tried to make sure we stayed out of third and long and tried to get away from some of our tendencies."

Payton played to his strengths during that game. Joe Montgomery ran the ball 38 times for 111 yards, and Kerry Collins hit on 17 of 29 passes for 341 yards with three touchdowns. Much of the passing offense went through Amani Toomer (six catches for 181 yards with three touchdowns) and Ike Hilliard (six catches for 121 yards).

The coach likes to spread things out, but he will still keep going back to the well if he has some clear advantages to exploit. Payton's identity and offense have changed over the years, but you can see some of his core ideals already in place during his first game as a play-caller.

MARCUS DAVENPORT'S HEALTH: At this point, it seems pretty obvious that Marcus Davenport is the team's best pass rusher. He already has 5 ½ sacks and appears poised to have his most-productive season barring another injury despite already missing six games.

The only issue is Davenport's frequent injuries. The pass rusher has to find a way to stay on the field, and his ability to do so moving forward should weigh heavily in any decisions to extend him beyond his fifth-year option.

The fact is, Davenport missed three games in each of his first two seasons and, unless something else happens, he'll end with 11 games each of the last two seasons. I will never criticize a player for missing time, but health needs to be a significant part of the equation when placing a value on a player and deciding to commit to them.

New Orleans needs defensive ends every week. So, it could be important for Davenport to change the narrative and find a way to stay on the field starting this week against the Jets.

BAD TACKLING: Payton quickly pointed out the most significant issue he saw with his team last week against Dallas: Tackling.

The biggest moment came when Marcus Williams took an odd angle to the ball on a 58-yard touchdown run by Tony Pollard, but the issues have run deeper than that. According to PFF, the team missed six total tackles against the Cowboys, after having a shocking 19 against the Bills.

"Tackling becomes an issue at any point in the season. It does almost every year," safety Malcolm Jenkins said. "Then that week, the emphasis is tackling, technique and your proper angles of pursuit to the ball. It's a league where it's hard to get guys on the ground. One-on-one tackling is always going to be hard. For us, it's not just working on the technique, but how are we going to get the football so that if the first guy misses, the next guy cleans it up and vice versa."

Fair or not, the defense is in a position where it almost can't afford to make mistakes, given that it is the strength of this team. Having issues with the fundamentals is not something this team is talented enough to overcome if those mistakes lead to the offense having to score more points.

DO OR DIE?: The Saints are well aware of how important Sunday's game against the Jets will be. After losing five straight, the team has to find a way to stop the bleeding if it wants to find a way to get into the playoffs.

The team knows where it stands and how important winning this week will be.

"This game is the most important game because it's the next game, and I feel like this game really determines if we really will be in the hunt still and determine if we are capable of going to the playoffs," wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith said. "So, this game is very important."

The other thing is, is the team knows it has used up all of its mistakes. Odds are New Orleans will need to win four of its next five games to make the playoffs, and Tampa Bay is one of the remaining teams on the schedule.

"Realistically, we are in December now, so you're looking at trying to position your way into the playoffs for us, and we're going to have to win games to do that," Jenkins said. "While you don't want to look too far ahead. We're at that place where we don't have too many more mulligans. It does start with the attention to detail this week. We can only play one game at a time, but we also have to be realistic of where we are in the season."

DID YOU KNOW?: Juwan Johnson reached a speed of 17.8 miles per hour on his 27-yard reception last week, according to Next Gen Stats. That was the fastest he's moved as a ball carrier all season.

Another one from them: Next Gen Stats has metrics they use to measure how many yards after the catch a player is expected to gain based on other similar plays. Deonte Harris was only expected to gain three yards after the catch on his 70-yard reception last week. He picked up 62.

END OF AN ERA?: If Cam Jordan is unable to play this week after testing positive for Covid-19, it will end his streak of playing in 172 consecutive games. His streak was the longest in the NFL for a non-specialist.

Jordan recently spoke about his streak and the things he's dealt with over the years. The defensive end admitted that he's had some ailments over the years, but nothing that he ever felt seriously put him in danger of missing a game.

"I mean, there's always going to be nicks, nags, bruises, bruised bones, broken fingers, cuts, high-ankle sprains, low-ankle sprains, AC joint sprain, bicep strain, herniated disc, whatever it is," Jordan said. "Nothing that will keep me from playing on Sundays."

Jordan said that he's dislocated fingers, popped them back into place, and kept playing, but noted what he's been through isn't unique. Playing in the NFL requires some level of pain management and willingness to battle through different injuries.

Unfortunately, the thing that is ending the streak isn't an injury or anything anyone can control. It's the one ailment or illness with no leeway on gritting it out and finding a way to stay on the field. Either you're in, or you're out.

RETURN ISSUES: The Saints have some things to figure out on punt returns with Harris (suspension) and Ty Montgomery (Covid-19) both out of action this week.

Alvin Kamara has returned punts before, but it might be wise to keep him out of that role since he's coming back from a knee injury. That could set the stage for Easop Winston to come up from the practice squad and help out in that role, given that he returned punts during the preseason.

Winston could also help provide a deep element to the passing offense with Harris out of action, although perhaps Kenny Stills could come back and fill that role.

ARMSTEAD DECISION: After doing the cap article a couple of weeks ago, it became clear that the team's most fascinating decision this offseason will center on Terron Armstead.

The veteran left tackle will become a free agent after the season but will still count as a $12.98 million cap charge if the team allows his deal to expire. At least in the short term, there is a significant financial advantage to work something out, so the Saints aren't still paying for Armstead while he plays somewhere else.

The only reason to let him go would be because the team is ready to move on, which wouldn't be unjustifiable. Armstead is getting older and has battled many injuries throughout his career. Plus, the team put incentives in Ryan Ramczyk's contract for playing left tackle.

But keeping Armstead makes a ton of sense, too. He remains one of the league's best left tackles, and avoiding the dead-money hit would be smart.

For now, the team needs to get him back on the field, and that doesn't yet seem like a guarantee heading into this one.

WILSON MATH: I'm not advocating for anyone or saying anything is happening by talking about this next topic. Jordan Schultz recently reported Russell Wilson would waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a trade to the Saints, Giants or Broncos, which led to questions about whether to team could afford him.

Wilson will carry a charge of $24 million if traded. The Saints are well over the cap, but we recently showed how they could easily get to $20 million or more under without trading or cutting anyone by doing simple restructures. If the team gets more aggressive with the cap – and it likely will – there are more places to trim. Extending Armstead is another way to lower the immediate cap commitments.

So, fitting Wilson is doable. The team would probably immediately convert his $19 million base salary into a signing bonus, which would free up the space needed to build an offense around the new quarterback.

If New Orleans wants to take that path, it could work.