The last time New Orleans Saints made it to the playoffs, Drew Brees was their quarterback. That was 2020. The last three years New Orleans has been a mediocre team that hovers around a .500 winning percentage. Will this be the year they end their playoff drought? Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon gave reasons why New Orleans will succeed or fail in this endeavor.
My prediction is the Saints will find themselves outside of the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. While the Klint Kubiak system is designed to be quarterback-friendly, Derek Carr has struggled in his first year of multiple different systems throughout his career. Offensively, the players should have more cohesion. That won’t erase question marks on the left side of the offensive line.
Dennis Allen also has never produced much confidence that he can lead a team towards the playoffs. His defense is also getting older with a question mark along the defensive line. Struggling to stop the run or rush the passer makes it difficult to express an overwhelming confidence in the defense, despite their star power and reputation.
There’s two paths to the playoffs, wild card and division winner. Kirk Cousins leading the Falcons don’t make them unstoppable, but it does make them the clear favorites in the NFC South. Tampa Bay didn’t get much better. The Saints didn’t either, so that cancels each other.
Like last year, the path to the wild card remains difficult. The Saints’ non-divisional schedule features teams who, like New Orleans, are middle of the pack with major unknowns. Overall, the Saints need to prove they’re a playoff team to earn my confidence. Right now there are just too many unknowns and complications.
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