Despite losing Jameis Winston for the season during Sunday's divisional match-up with the Buccaneers, the Saints battled through the adversity and pulled off a big win against their long-time rival. With a bunch of games still left to play, the loss of Winston was a huge blow to the Saints season. Nonetheless, in this post, we're looking at our Saints Week 8 takeaways.

However, Sean Payton showed us all once again why he's one of the best coaches in the NFL. His innate ability to improvise and work with the cards he's been dealt is what's made him so successful all these years.

Now that New Orleans is set to run a new game plan for the rest of the year, let's take a look at the our Saints Week 8 takeaways.

Saints Week 8 Takeaways After Thrilling Win Over Buccaneers

Trevor Siemian will thrive as the Saints starting quarterback 

After throwing for 159 yards and a touchdown on 16 of 29 passing, Trevor Siemian showed that he can thrive under pressure and was able to outlast during Tom Brady and the Bucs during their exciting Week 8 showdown. If Siemian is able to keep this up, then the Saints will be able to remain in good company and be able to keep pace in the NFC playoff race. With a ton of talent on the Saints offense, Siemian will be able to utilize their game plan to perfection and run Payton's play calls with ease.

Chauncey Gardner was big for the Saints 

With five tackles and a timely interception that helped the Saints turn things around on Sunday, Chauncey Gardner was definitely a difference maker for the Saints on defense. Now that the Saints have been forced to run a new offense, it may take them some time to establish a new rhythm, and this in-turn will require their defense to come up with some big stops throughout the season.

However, Gardner's big game today further showcased the Saints deep and dynamic defense loaded with multi-skilled playmakers that can lockdown some of the league's most explosive offensive units. So look out for more big performances from Gardner and the Saints deep and talented defense.

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Dylan Bruton ·

They are dark horse title contenders 

Having come away with a statement win against the reigning Super Bowl champs, it seems as if the Saints may have been overlooked as legitimate Super Bowl contenders this season. Especially after the way they were able to improvise and come away with a big win against the heavily favored Bucs. Even without Winston under center for them, they were still able to pull off a surprise win and keep their season alive.

Although there's still a ton of football left to play, things did look bleak for them after Winston went down with a season-ending injury. However, Siemian prevailed in his debut with the Saints and held down the fort for New Orleans while keeping them at bay and outdueling Brady on their way to an upset victory. Under the direction of Payton's high-IQ style of play, the Saints will be able to implement a new game plan and stay in the thick of the NFC playoff race.