In 2022 the New Orleans Saints faced steep odds against a playoff run, but they locked in and won some key games down the stretch to give themselves a chance.
Could the same thing happen for this 2023 squad, sitting at 5-5 and alone in first place of the NFC South and win four division games left to play? Saints GM Mickey Loomis says he's hopeful, but each season's team has to prove its own mettle. Nothing that happened in 2022 will be a factor this time around.
Listen to the full, exclusive interview with Saints GM Mickey Loomis in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
"Every team is different and I think when you get into these stretch runs, you’re not building character, you’re revealing it," Loomis told Mike Hoss on WWL Radio. "So … the character of our team will be revealed over these next seven games."
That proving ground begins after a bye week, with the Saints looking to get healthy after injuries to Derek Carr (concussion), Michael Thomas (knee) and Marshon Lattimore (ankle) in a frustrating loss the the Vikings in Week 11. After the off week the Saints travel to face the Falcons, a pivotal matchup for both teams in dire need of a strong finish. Atlanta has lost three straight games, including defeats at the hands of rookie Will Levis and the scuffling Titans and a pair of quarterbacks in their first action of the season with their teams in Josh Dobbs and the Vikings, and more recently Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, with the QB making his return from injury.
Related
The Saints have games remaining against the struggling Panthers, Baker Mayfield and the Bucs, along with the Giants and Rams before a rematch with the Falcons. Those teams currently have a combined record of 14-33 (.298 winning %). The other game on the schedule comes against the Lions, a team that appears to be on the verge of becoming an NFC power under former Saints assistant Dan Campbell.
That lineup should set up as a favorable stretch, and if the Saints can string a few wins together they can win the NFC South and host a playoff game for the first time since 2020.
"I believe in our guys," Loomis continued. "I believe in our team, our coaches, our staff. We’ve got to demonstrate that in these last seven games and see where it takes us.”
━━
MORE FROM MICKEY LOOMIS
What are the issues plaguing this team?
“I think each week there are some things that are common from week to week, and there are some things that we’ve improved significantly on, and there’s some new things that crop up and I think the last few weeks defensively we’ve struggled in the first half of these games, and we don’t have a real answer for the why behind that," Loomis said. "So we’ve got to get that fixed. We’ve got to figure out why we’re starting slow, why it’s taking us a while to get settled in defensively. I think offensively over the past five or six weeks we’ve improved pretty significantly in a lot of areas, and yet — look, this was a game in the first half where we took a little bit of a step back, even though there were some good things.
"We moved the ball at times, but again we had some misalignments on a couple of occasions and we had some penalties on a couple of occasions that stopped our progress, so those are the things that have to get cleaned up.”
Related
━━
On A.T. Perry's big day
“That was a spectacular catch. He has one thing you can’t coach and that’s the height that he has. He’s a long, tall receiver. He’s got pretty good body control at his size. We saw some really good things in the preseason that we like. He’s still developing, but he was pushed into action on Sunday and I thought he responded pretty well. There was another ball that he would tell you that he could’ve and should’ve caught, but the touchdown was certainly spectacular.”
━━
On Denver's turnaround
“That was a fun game to watch last night, I thought. … And listen, I know that the worse they do, the better our pick is, but look, we’ve got so many connections, people that are in Denver that we know and that have been with us. And so I personally root for them to win. I want them to do well because I know what it means to not just Sean, but all the guys on that stuff that are with him. I was glad to see Wil Lutz get a second chance to make that kick and win the game for them, so that was yea, that outcome was good to see. It’s good to see them bounce back from that start and get themselves back into the hunt.”