The mourners acknowledge their grief, certainly, but then they celebrate the joys of a life well-lived. If you're lucky, you get a band.
The Saints scored 17 points in the first 17 minutes, 53 seconds of Sunday's interment. The Eagles' season died a quick, comfortable death at 5:15 p.m. CST. They were buried three hours later, 48-7. They fell to 4-6.
"The Saints beat the hell out of us," said receiver Alshon Jeffery, "but the division is wide-open for us."
After a home loss to a decrepit Dallas team last week, and after this big, easy embarrassment, the Eagles have no realistic chance to play a single game in January, much less defend their first Super Bowl title.