The New Orleans Saints finally won a road playoff game, removing a burden that had existed for too long a time. The problem with that road win is that it came in the wild card round, not the NFC Championship Game. The Saints need to win the NFC South and get home-field advantage in at least one of the last two rounds of the NFC playoffs. That’s how they can get to the Super Bowl again. Drew Brees wants another shot at the Lombardi Trophy, but playing in the wild card game won’t get him there. The Saints need to become a stronger, more explosive regular season team.
Strengths
The Saints are always going to compete for division titles in the current NFL because of who they have at quarterback and the receiver positions. Drew Brees is simply one of the four best quarterbacks in football. He’s probably fourth, behind Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers, but he’s better than everyone else at football’s most important position. Brees makes up for his lack of size with an ability to scan the field and find the right man in the right place at the right time. Brees’ instincts are so sharp, and they’ve needed to be, because that’s how a quarterback with a body made for baseball has been able to survive in the NFL. Brees annually has quality receivers and tight ends to throw to. Jimmy Graham is an elite tight end. Marques Colston made some very poor decisions in the NFC divisional playoffs last January in a loss to Seattle, but he’s still a very good target who produces a lot for the team. The Saints have solid linebackers as well. That’s the part of their defense which really helps with run support and can cover the short areas of the field when it comes to pass defense against running backs and hybrid types.
Weaknesses
The Saints’ weaknesses are just as clear as their strengths. The Saints have a very thin secondary, a reality which was exposed in the NFC wild card game against the Philadelphia Eagles last season. The Saints outplayed the Eagles for the first two and a half quarters or so, but then cornerback Keenan Lewis, who had been shutting down Philadelphia’s receivers all night, suffered a concussion. Philadelphia immediately began to move the ball well and almost won the game. The Saints were able to run the ball, kill the clock, and kick a last-play field goal to win, but the message came through that the secondary was very vulnerable beyond Lewis. This part of the defense needs to be addressed if the Saints are going to become an even better team this season.
Schedule
The Saints play the AFC North in interconference games. They host Cincinnati and Baltimore while visiting Pittsburgh and Cleveland. That’s a perfect combination of home and road dates, since teams should want the harder games at home and the easier ones on the road. The Saints play non-division NFC games against Minnesota, Dallas, Detroit, Green Bay, San Francisco, and Chicago. If they can win four of those games, go 3-1 against the AFC North, and go 4-2 in the NFC South, they’ll be 11-5.
Outlook
Will the Saints get to 11-5? Maybe. They should definitely get to 10 wins, however. The details of the schedule work well for them. A division title is also a good possibility because Carolina is not going to be nearly as good this season as it was last season, due to a lack of quality receivers.
Pick: Over 9.5
