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Breaking the “7-9” Curse

By Irvin Palacios

Nov 17, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Luke McCown (7) reacts after the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. The Panthers defeated the Saints 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 17, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Luke McCown (7) reacts after the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. The Panthers defeated the Saints 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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The road to the promise land is getting foggier and foggier with each passing Sunday. Who Dat nation has had to endure two heart breaking losses in the last two weeks. Both games have had fans on the edge of their seats until the 4th quarter, only to have Saints lose in the final minutes of the game. Can New Orleans avoid falling into the 7-9 curse once again?

The Saints have ended the last 3 of 4 seasons with a 7-9 record. Currently they sit at 4-6 with 6 games remaining in the regular season. Their remaining schedule has them playing against the Rams (Home), Lions (Home), Buccaneers (Away), Cardinals (Away), Buccaneers (Home), and Falcons (Away). Going into this Sunday their opponents combined records are 27-27-1.

So is there another 7-9 season waiting for New Orleans at the finish line?

November 6, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA;Sean Payton during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi
November 6, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA;Sean Payton during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi /

Let’s look at the numbers.

In the last 4 seasons, New Orleans has not had a winning record during their last 6 games of the season. Their last 3 seasons have ended in a 3-3 split, and only the 2012 season ended in a 2-4 losing record. Despite going 11-5 overall in 2013, New Orleans has not had a winning record during their last 6 games in any of the past 4 seasons.

Let’s look closer at the head-to-head records with their remaining opponents.

  • Last Game: 12/15/13 vs. St. Louis Rams – L 27-16

(Saints are 2-2 (1-0 @ Home) in last 4 meetings against the Rams)

  • Last Game: 12/21/15 vs. Detroit Lions – L 35-17

(Saints are 2-2 (2-1 @ Home) in last 4 meeting, including 1 playoff win against the Lions)

  • Last Game: 12/13/15 @ TB Buccaneers – W 24-17

(Saints are 3-1 (2-0 on the Road) in last 4 meetings against the Bucs)

  • Last Game: 9/13/15 @ Arizona Cardinals – L 31-19

(Saints are 2-2 (0-2 on the Road) in last 4 meetings, including 1 playoff win against the Cardinals)

  • Last Game: 12/13/15 vs. TB Buccaneers – W 24-17

(Saints are 3-1 (1-1 @ Home) in last 4 meetings against the Bucs)

  • Last Game: 9/26/16 @ Atlanta Falcons – L 45-32

(Saints are 2-2 (1-0 on the Road) in last 4 meetings against the Falcons)

If we base our analysis on the Saints’ late season tendencies and head-to-head records with their

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remaining opponents, we could conclude that New Orleans will continue to be cursed and end the season with a 7-9 record. But this season feels different. Drew Brees and the Saints offense continue to fire on all cylinders, establishing themselves as a premier offense in the NFL. On the other side of the ball, the defense has struggled, but looked very solid on Thursday night against the Panthers. Let’s hope Delvin Breaux gets healthy so that he can add another layer of improvement to this defense.

Next: Saints Color Rush jerseys

My thoughts. Let’s break this “7-9 curse”. There are still 6 games left in the season!

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