In 24 hours the Saints’ season will be over
By Dean Mullen
The New Orleans Saints in the past always seemed to take care of Tampa Bay every year. The Buccaneers would always play the Black and Gold close but always lose in the end. Now the team that is hanging on for dear life is not Tampa but the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints are no doubt right in the thick of things currently if the team can roll off four straight wins. With three games against NFC South opponents, there is a mathematical possibility of still making the playoffs. After Sunday those dreams will end. While it may still be remotely possible, a loss would put the Saints at 5-8 and eliminated from any postseason dreams.
Jim Mora would have told Who Dat Nation straight up.
To be honest, any reference to this team as a playoff team is simply ludicrous. The Saints simply don’t deserve to be in the playoffs. Tampa Bay will mercifully put Saints fans out of their misery once and for all in 2016. As a fan, I’ll be rooting for the Black and Gold, but this year is just not the time for another great run.
At this instant, the Saints at best are an average team. The fact that the .500 record continuously evades them tells the story. The effort is there. The hope is there. The wins just aren’t there. The New Orleans Saints have been on top for a very long time. Additionally, the Saints playing at home in previous years were so incredibly dominant. The Saints were invincible. That was then and this is now.
Teams that came into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome feared the Saints. Now the invincibility has literally left the building.
Who Dat Nation has become What Dat Nation the last three years. This is reality. Also, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come in red hot winning the last four in a row. The Bucs are underrated in my opinion mainly because they are peaking at just the right time. On the other hand, the Saints are coming off one of their worse performances against the Detroit Lions.
Even Sean Payton called the team sluggish after the game. How can any team come out sluggish knowing it’s December? Tampa Bay though will thankfully end any hopes for this season. The fans have been mislead all season with the exception of the defense improving. This is the best thing really. Dennis Allen does deserves credit for improving the play for sure. Other than that though, the Black and Gold will have to look themselves in the mirror and see what all of us see. Another 7-9 season or worse.
Prediction Tampa Bay 31 Saints 20