After defeating the previously unbeaten Dallas Cowboys in Week Four, the New Orleans Saints have proven that even without Drew Brees, they’re still the class of the NFC
With seven teams in the NFC already to three wins, its fair to say that the conference is demonstrating a great deal of parity through the first quarter of the NFL season.
After their 12-10 victory against the previously unbeaten Dallas Cowboys, the New Orleans Saints have staked their claim at the top of the conference. Good Morning Football analysts discussed this ascension earlier this week.
When Drew Brees was injured during Week 2, many speculated that it could spell the end of the Saints’ playoff chances.
Instead, the Saints, under the steady hand of backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, have beaten what most would consider to be playoff teams (the Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks), and done so in two very different ways.
In Bridgewater’s first start, the team scored 33 points while giving up 27 to the prolific Seahawks’ offense.
The game Sunday night against Dallas was anything but an offensive affair, though, as the Saints won 12-10 despite not scoring a touchdown in the game.
What does all of this mean?
New Orleans has now positioned itself to battle down the stretch for the top seed in the NFC playoffs, by virtue of holding the head-to-head tiebreaker against two of the top-tier teams in the conference.
And the schedule, from here, gets considerably easier for the Saints. The only team they play in the next six weeks of the season with a winning record is the inconsistent Chicago Bears squad. This week, FPI gives the Saints a 64% chance to make the playoffs, and even that seems pretty low considering the schedule and their overall talent.
Meanwhile, running back Alvin Kamara is having another great start to the season. While his production has dipped some, he still has nearly 500 yards of total offense through just four games already this season.
All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas also feels like his production is down, but he is on pace for 1,400 yards receiving this season. A number anyone would love to have.
Both standouts would love to be finding the end zone more, to be sure (Kamara – 2, Thomas – 1), but several key weapons are getting in on the action this year, and that makes the standouts’ jobs even easier. In addition, kicker Will Lutz has been very good, converting 10-of-11 field goal attempts early this season.
The defense is also doing their part, converting two interceptions and forcing four fumbles, while also registering 10 sacks already this season. While only middle of the pack in scoring defense (16th overall, 23 points per game), the Saints proved on Sunday night that they can step up and hold an offense in check when they need to, limiting the Cowboys offense, led by MVP candidate Dak Prescott, to only one touchdown score in the contest.
In addition to what they’re accomplishing on the field, the team has to be excited for the return of starting quarterback Drew Brees, currently projected back around Week 9. Despite Bridgewater playing well in his absence, Brees was an MVP candidate in 2018 and definitively makes the offense better.
The final piece of the Saints puzzle has always been Sean Payton. Payton is one of the best coaches in the NFL at scheming game plans to fit his players and to exploit weaknesses in the other teams. This reality alone sets them apart from other would-be contenders.
While the Saints did lay an egg on both sides of the ball in their week two loss to the LA Rams, the team has to be given some slack due to the injury sustained in the game by Brees. Besides that game, the team has demonstrated ability on both sides of the ball to compete with the class of the conference, and has demonstrated consistency which sets them apart from many other would-be contenders like: the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys.
It will not be a surprise to see the Saints at the top of the NFC Power Rankings when Drew Brees returns in November, and at that point, they’ll be pretty tough to beat or to catch in the standings. We could be looking at an NFC playoff road that goes through the Big Easy, once again…and we all know how good Brees is in the dome.