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No, probably not. October has been better for the New Orleans Saints than any other month since Sean Payton took over in 2006; his teams have gone 41-13 in the second month of the NFL regular season, winning 15 consecutive games. They haven’t lost in October since 2016’s road game with the Kansas City Chiefs, and they haven’t lost at home in October since the Cleveland Browns upset them way back in 2010.
So why are Payton’s teams so successful here? Maybe he’s just a big fan of the month and all it brings: pumpkin spice lattes, bonfires, wool socks and sweaters, apple picking, and of course Halloween. Could all those seasonal festivities energize him?
Again, probably not. The more realistic explanation comes from what this month represents on the NFL calendar. Teams typically stumble out of the gate in September, taking a few weeks to find their bearings and sort out the playbook, and for coaches to find what their players really do well. You can only learn so much from training camp competition between your own players and a handful of snaps in preseason games when neither side is truly trying to win.
And this is when Payton shines. After getting three or four games of tape behind him, he’s got a good idea of what works and what doesn’t, and that’s reflected in his team’s winning percentage. They’ve improved from a 27-27 tally in September (precisely .500) to a 41-13 record in October (clocking in at .759).
Sure, things tend to settle down later in the season. Opponents catch up to what Payton has changed and how his team is working. The level of competition increases as the schedule moves into November and December. The stakes climb higher with playoff seeding on the line. Sometimes Payton’s teams rise to the occasion. Sometimes they’ve faltered.
We’ll see where they go in 2021, but it’s a good bet that this 0-3 Giants team won’t find their first win of the season in New Orleans.
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