The 3 reasons the Saints will win the NFC South
The New Orleans Saints expect to be an improved team and compete for the playoffs. In addition, here are a few reasons why they are ready to compete and win the NFC South.
Reason #1: A Dominant Offensive Line
It’s hard to ignore just how good the offensive line for New Orleans Saints is. In 2016, the team was ranked sixth best in the NFL in sacks allowed, only 27 for the season. No other team in the division allowed less than 35 and Tampa Bay.
Even looking at advanced statistics shows just how good the offensive line is for Drew Brees and company. Football Outsiders ranked teams according to “Adjusted Line Yards” which “takes all running back carries and assigns responsibility to the offensive line based on a few different percentages. The shorter the run, the higher responsibility of it being on the offensive line. While a longer run is deemed more on the running back and less on the offensive line.
In these rankings, the Saints were number one in the league in the offensive line’s responsibility for the running game. That’s nothing to take away from Mark Ingram or Tim Hightower, but that kind of statistic shows just how good the offensive line was in 2016.
But who says the team should settle for what they have. Head coach Sean Payton and GM Mickey Loomis went out and signed G Larry Warford. Warford is in his fifth season, and while he hasn’t been dominant thus far, he is still regarded as an upper tier offensive guard. Pair that with drafting Ryan Ramczyk out of Wisconsin and you add depth to an already talented pool of players. Even with the injuries to Terron Armstead and Max Unger, the offensive line should stay strong and gel just like they did last season. Of course, it helps when you have an offensive mastermind as a head coach and a future Hall of Famer as a quarterback.
Reason #2: New Faces in the Division
A quick look around the NFC South, and my how things have changed quickly. New players litter the rosters making one of the toughest divisions in the NFL even tougher. But a look at the sidelines shows some major changes there as well.
The Atlanta Falcons come off a 25 point collapse against New England in the Super Bowl (As a true Saints fan, you have to mention that whenever you get the chance,) has a new face running their offense. Kyle Shanahan left for the San Francisco 49ers head coaching vacancy and is being replaced by Steve Sarkisian. “Coach Sark” is a good offensive mind, but it is yet to be determined if he can pick up where Shanahan left off. Above all, can he keep this explosive offense and help keep Matt Ryan playing at his MVP level?
The Carolina Panthers lost their defensive coordinator Sean McDermott to Buffalo, where he is now the head coach replacing Rex Ryan. This transition should be more predictable. Steve Wilks, who was the secondary coach in 2016, steps in to the defensive coordinator role, which should allow the Panthers to keep their same philosophy. After all, that philosophy is likely that of head coach Ron Rivera, who was a defensive coordinator himself for the Bears and Chargers. Furthermore, the Panthers also fired GM Dave Gettleman, which came as a shock to just about everyone around the league.
On the other hand, Tampa Bay hasn’t made many changes to their staff. The Bucs kept the core of their coaching staff of a steadily improving team together. However, they have still yet to prove that they are able to compete consistently.
Also, the Saints aren’t immune to coaching changes as well. The team added a proven linebackers coach in Mike Nolan and reunited with longtime receivers coach Curtis Johnson. Johnson was with the Saints previously. Marques Colston, Robert Meachem, and Lance Moore all performed their best under him. With young receivers, Curtis Johnson rejoins Sean Payton’s staff that may spark something special.
Reason #3: Favorable schedule
Let’s face it, the Saints have a tough first few weeks schedule wise. The Saints open up on Monday Night Football at Minnesota. Than the Saints come back home on a short week before playing the defending World Champion Patriots, and a trip to London in Week 4 isn’t easy. Toss in a bye week early in the season means 12 straight weeks of games. This makes things difficult.
However, the Saints do have a pretty favorable schedule the latter part of the season. New Orleans has the Bears, Rams, and Jets this season. Pair that with games against the Bills and Redskins, and the season could very well fall on the division record of the Saints.
In recent seasons, that hasn’t been a strong suit for New Orleans. The team hasn’t finished above .500 in the division since 2013. That stat needs to change. And this is the year that it should. With Carolina trying to find its footing following a disappointing season, and Atlanta is trying to replace a great offensive mind of their own. The New Orleans Saints could come away with some good wins in the division. Playing three of the last five games at home also helps tremendously. A strong finish at home down the stretch could help bolster the Saints’ position in the NFC Playoff picture.