The New Orleans Saints lost another heartbreaking playoff game last weekend during the Wild-Card round, but if quarterback Drew Brees returns to the team next season, the Saints will likely be favored again to win the NFC South.
But, they’ll have their work cut out for them as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers proved in the second half of the season that they are a team on the up-and-up. With a young talented defense starting to come into their own, coupled with a potent offense, Tampa Bay could finally end their postseason drought in 2020.
And, according to head coach Bruce Arians, the biggest difference between his team and the Saints is the mentality they have entering the season in September. Arians recently talked about the message he delivered to his team following their Week 17 loss to the Falcons, and what it means for them heading into next year.
“The biggest message was I think the difference between us and the New Orleans Saints. In September, they knew they were going to win the division. We thought we might, but we weren’t sure and it was too late by October. You lose playoffs in September sometimes. A lot of people don’t like talking about that. When you start losing games in September they come back to bite you in December and some of those did for us… I think next year when we step on the field we should know we’re good enough.”
Tampa Bay certainly has a lot of confidence heading into the offseason, more so than at this point last season when they were coming off a 5-11 season and had one of the league’s worst defenses.
With a year of experience playing for Arians, this Bucs squad should surprise a lot of teams next season, including the Saints.
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