The Saints have been on an up-and-down ride through the first four games of the 2021 season.
New Orleans opened with a thrilling win over Green Bay only to lay an egg the next week against the Panthers. Rinse and repeat in weeks 3 and 4. The Saints went on the road in a tough environment and got a win over the Patriots. One week later at their home opener, the black and gold blew an 11-point fourth quarter lead in a loss to the Giants.
I am a big believer in you are what your record says you are in the NFL. Right now? The Saints are 2-2 sitting smack dab at .500. Coach Sean Payton told his players that he does not want to be a “yo-yo team,” one that rises up only to fall again throughout the year. Unfortunately that is exactly what the Saints have been through the first quarter of the season.
What does a 2-2 start mean for the rest of the season? Only time will tell. The Saints have been in this situation before, responding with long winning streaks and looking like a very different team by Week 9 or 10. Often teams do not look the same in the second half of the from how they did in the first half.
So that begs the question: Where do we think the Saints will finish?
- A winning record but no playoffs?
- A playoff berth?
- Losing record and miss playoffs?
- A 5th consecutive NFC South title?
I will tell you what I think: The Saints are going to be on this rollercoaster the remainder of the season and finish somewhere around .500 record. With a 17-game schedule finishing right at .500 would be impossible, but I think you get the point. I have them finishing outside of the playoffs at 9-8 or 8-9.
I think what we see is what we are going to get with Jameis Winston. Sure, the team is going to get healthier with the returns of Michael Thomas, Tre’Quan Smith, Wil Lutz and others. Defensive tackle David Onyemata will give the defensive line a boost when he returns from suspension in Week 8. I just wonder if it’ll be too little too late.
The problem as I see it: The Saints count on a lot of young players in key positions and the youngsters haven’t quite caught on to how tedious and detailed the preparation needs to be, week in and week out. It often takes young players a few years to speed up in that regard.
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NFL analyst Mike Detillier has a similar outlook
“I picked them 9-8, this is a reload year. There is going to be a lot more ups and downs this year because of new pieces and new players. Also, you’ve had your fair share of injuries to key players. What you have seen early on is what you are going to see the remainder of the season,” Detillier explained.
WWL’s analyst didn’t seem bullish on the Saints chances of making the post-season.
“Can they sneak into the playoffs? Maybe. The Saints are going to ride the rollercoaster; one week good, the other week not so good. That is the bottom line” Detillier added.
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Mike D also pointed out the NFC South is a much tougher division this year with the Panthers playing so well, and of course the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While the season is still young, we are starting to get answers as to what kind of team the Saints are. It’s up to the Saints to make sure those answers change.