Tag: season

Saints eliminated from playoff contention after Rams lose to 49ers

The Saints left with a win against Atlanta, but got no help from the Rams, whose loss to the 49ers eliminated them from playoff contention:

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Well that’s disappointing. The New Orleans Saints took care of their business against the Atlanta Falcons, beating their little-brother rivals by a couple of scores (a 30-20 victory, to be clear), but they didn’t get any help from the drama queens out west.

It wasn’t enough to crush the Falcons. The Saints needed a Los Angeles Rams win over the San Francisco 49ers to qualify for the playoffs. And L.A. responded by blowing a 17-point lead and allowing the 49ers to take them to overtime. Matthew Stafford sealed it with an interception in their 27-24 loss.

You know, it was kind of on-brand for the Saints this year. They did enough to win and still lost due to factors outside their control — injuries, COVID-19 outbreaks, and another team’s shortcomings in tiebreaking procedures.

We don’t know for sure yet where the Saints will pick in the 2022 NFL draft (it could be as high as 16th, depending on which teams qualify for the AFC bracket). But that’s obviously not as pressing a concern. The fact that the Saints were able to end their season with a winning record and a comfortable victory over their oldest rival is impressive in its own right. Let’s see where they go next.

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NFC East Advanced Stat Roundup: Inside the Cowboys EPA, CPOE, success advantages

The records give the what, stats give the how Dallas has zoomed to an early division lead. @ProfessorO_NFL breaks down the ones that show not only how Dallas leads the East, but earns their place as NFL elite.

Week 5 of the 2021 NFL Season is in the books with the NFC compiling a record 2-2. In the early games, the Washington Football Team fell to the 3-2 New Orleans Saints, 33-22, while the Philadelphia Eagles eeked out a 21-18 win over the Carolina Panthers.  The late game saw the Dallas Cowboys take on their divisional rival, New York Giants, in a game that was close through halftime but ended in a 44-20 blowout in favor of the Cowboys.

The Cowboys now enjoy a two-game lead within the division over Washington and Philadelphia and have a three-game cushion over the Giants. With head-to-head victories over the latter two, the race has a clear leader through the first stanza of the season. How much is real and how much is circumstance? The advanced stats give additional insight than records alone.

Saints 2021 schedule previews: Washington Football Team

Saints 2021 schedule previews: Washington Football Team

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The New Orleans Saints are back on the road in Week 5, and our 2021 opponent preview continues with the Washington Football Team. For fans sorely missing Drew Brees, this game should invoke some good nostalgia; it was against Washington on Monday Night Football where Brees broke Peyton Manning’s record as the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards.

The team will face off against longtime NFC South rival head coach Ron Rivera for the first time since joining the organization last season. They’ll have another friendly face under center in Ryan Fitzpatrick, who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to an upset against New Orleans in Week 1 of the 2018 season. Both teams are formidable in the trenches, and this may come down to whichever offensive line can hold up under constant pressure.

Saints 2021 schedule previews: Week 1 vs. Green Bay Packers

New Orleans Saints 2021 schedule previews: Week 1 vs. Green Bay Packers

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The New Orleans Saints are set to open the 2021 NFL season with a highly anticipated Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, with or without Aaron Rodgers. A year ago, this would have been a classic battle of two future Hall of Future quarterbacks in Rodgers versus Drew Brees. The spotlight, however, remains firmly on the question marks under center for both teams in this meeting.

No opening game better allegorizes the defining theme of this offseason: quarterback controversy. Rodgers is still away from Green Bay, putting his backup Jordan Love front and center. And Brees will be replaced by either Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill. It remains to be seen who will headline the opener, but the true mystery, no matter the Saints’ Week 1 starter, will be their dueling opponent.

New Orleans will be seeking vindication for their 37-30 loss to Green Bay in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome last season; the crucial tiebreaker cost the Saints a first-round bye that may have been the difference-maker in their playoff run.

6 most important games on the Saints’ schedule in 2021

The New Orleans Saints will play their most important games in 2021 against the Packers, Seahawks, Cowboys, Bills, and Buccaneers (twice).

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We’ve made our picks for the games we’re most excited to watch in 2021, but which contests will be most pivotal for the New Orleans Saints? The Saints are looking to not just defend their NFC South title (which they’ve owned for an unprecedented four consecutive years), but to prove their roster is bigger than Drew Brees, and that they can make a splash in the playoffs without the Hall of Fame-bound quarterback.

So check this link for the full 2021 Saints schedule, and check out my picks for the most important games below:

Saints Wire staff picks: Games we’re most excited about in 2021

The New Orleans Saints have some exciting matchups ahead of them in the 2021 season, including games with the Packers, Cowboys, and Patriots

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Which Saints games are you most looking forward to this season? With five prime time contests lined up and many of last year’s playoff teams ready to take on New Orleans, it’s shaping up for an exciting 2021 campaign.

So our staff at Saints Wire got together and made our picks for the games we’re most excited for in 2021. These aren’t necessarily the best matchups or the most difficult challenges, but they are each compelling in different ways. Let’s dive in:

2021 New Orleans Saints schedule: Ranking each game

The New Orleans Saints have a loaded 2021 schedule featuring big-time games with Derrick Henry and the Titans, plus Tom Brady and the Bucs.

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The New Orleans Saints 2021 NFL season schedule has just been released and there are plenty of enticing marquee matchups. Once again, the Saints will host a Thanksgiving Day game, but this time the Buffalo Bills will come to town. Additionally, despite the retirement of quarterback Drew Brees, New Orleans has drawn five primetime games, two of which are fall on Thursdays in subsequent weeks. The intrigue of Jameis Winston possibly taking the helm of one of the most prominent teams in the NFL will have everyone watching. Here are some thoughts on each of the matchups this season, ranked from best to, well, last:

Report: Saints to face Cowboys on Thursday night after Thanksgiving

The New Orleans Saints will play the Dallas Cowboys in the Superdome in Week 13 of the 2021 season, after seeing the Bills on Thanksgiving.

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The NFL’s 2021 schedule release is hours away, but reports continue to trickle in on the biggest matchups the Saints will see this season. And here’s one worth putting in your calendar: SI.com’s John Hendrix reports that the Dallas Cowboys will visit New Orleans for a Thursday night game on Dec. 2.

That follows the Saints’ Thanksgiving Day kickoff with the Buffalo Bills a week earlier. Playing consecutive Thursday night games is far from ideal, but at least both contests will be in New Orleans. The Saints won’t have to fly cross-country or prepare on a short week between the two prime time games.

Saints-Cowboys games are always memorable: between Malcolm Jenkins running down Roy Williams for the game-saving stripped fumble on Thanksgiving back in 2010; to C.J. Spiller’s overtime game-winning touchdown sprint in 2014; to Dennis Allen blitzing Dak Prescott on the last-second Hail Mary attempt for the win in 2019, fireworks pop off every time these teams share the field.

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NFL expands to 17-game regular season; what Saints fans need to know

NFL ownership voted to expand the regular season to 18 weeks, with 17 games and a bye week for each team. What does it mean for the Saints?

NFL ownership voted on Tuesday to approve a plan adding another week to its regular season, increasing the total number of games played from 256 to 272 — a slate of 17 games per team. That carries serious implications for all involved: the players, coaches and team personnel, and the fans themselves. Here’s what Saints fans need to know.

Report: Saints likely facing Titans on the road in 2021’s 17th regular season game

NBC Sports’ Peter King reports the AFC is most likely to host the 17th regular game matchups in 2021, putting the Saints against the Titans.

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One of the big changes we’ll see to the NFL schedule in 2021 is the addition of a seventeenth regular season game, tacking on a new hurdle for every team to overcome in pursuit of the playoffs. And while it isn’t completely set in stone just yet, we have a good idea of which matchup the New Orleans Saints will draw — and where they could be playing.

NBC Sports’ Peter King shared his insight, reporting that the “most likely” scenario is for the AFC to host the 17th game in 2021, with the NFC hosting in 2022 as the start of a new rotation. That would mean another away game for the Saints this season, against Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans.

Henry didn’t suit up against the Saints in their 2019 meeting, having rested due to injury. The league rushing yards champ in each of the last two seasons, Henry has played against 30 of the NFL’s 32 teams: all except for the Saints and his own Titans, who drafted him back in 2016. You have to think that’s a date he’ll end up circling on his calendar.

If the Saints do get stuck with a road game at Tennessee, their list of business trips will grow to include their regular NFC South rivals as well as the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Washington Football Team.

We’ll know for sure when the NFL releases its schedule later this offseason, after league ownership has gathered for its annual spring meetings in March. The drop date typically falls in mid-April, but uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic pushed back the 2020 release until May 7. Here’s hoping things get closer back to normal in 2021.

As for how future matchups in this seventeenth regular season game will be decided: here’s how King broke down the formula as it currently stands.

“When the NFL was choosing options, the formula that prevailed—follow me now—was AFC versus NFC, cross-conference matchup from two years ago, 2021 matchup based on 2020 standings. Now that you’re totally confused, here’s an example: The four AFC West teams played the four NFC North teams in 2019. In 2020, Kansas City finished in first place in the AFC West, Green Bay first in the NFC North. So in 2021, it’s AFC West against NFC North, and 1-versus-1 from ‘20 becomes Green Bay versus Kansas City.”

What does that mean for New Orleans? If we’re looking ahead to the 2022 schedule, it would have the Saints playing their same-place finisher in the AFC West, who they just saw in 2020. They handled their business against the quarterback-less Broncos and outlasted the Chargers in overtime while being upset by the Raiders and narrowly defeated by the Chiefs, so it’s anyone’s guess how a rematch might turn out. If it’s any consolation, King’s description of the scheduling formula would at least have that game played in the Superdome.

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