The New Orleans Saints are a mediocre football team. That’s just the reality right now. Their offense struggles to shift gears and their defense has a hard time finishing games. They rank last in the NFL in turnover differential (having given up 7 more fumbles and interceptions on offense than they’ve taken away on defense) and are tied at No. 21 in scoring differential (having put up 141 points on the scoreboard while yielding 158 points on defense).
And, yeah, that’s kind of the story for all four NFC South teams right now. They’re all playing bad football. No team in the division has a winning record. It’s been enough for the Carolina Panthers to make a change at head coach. The Saints probably should be next, but there’s nothing to suggest they’ll even consider it.
The general malaise around the division has given rise to a new narrative that New Orleans could turn it all around at a moment’s notice (after all, they’re only a game out of first place), but what have the Saints shown us through six games to deserve any confidence they’ll do that? Their self-inflicted wounds have been the story of the season. Week 7’s game is just days away with a 2-5 start darkening the horizon. Dennis Allen’s team is continuing to play sloppy football while finding new and innovative ways to lose each week. It’s frustrating to say the least.
But, hey. He’s only lost 33% of his games after losing 22% of his games over several years with the Raiders way back when. Maybe Allen is closer to turning the corner than we think. If so, the division is set up well for his squad to succeed. Here’s where the NFC South stands after Week 6: