Who are the New Orleans Saints of 2017?
By Dean Mullen
The New Orleans Saints have won two in a row. Is Who Dat Nation ready to jump back on the bandwagon?
At times, the game didn’t look pretty. Actually, the first half was nearly unbearable to watch. Penalty flags littered the field like confetti. The Saints barely got any points but led 3-0 at halftime. Early on, the game looked to be between two bad teams.
However, lightning struck in the second half, as the Black and Gold outscored the Dolphins 17-0 to pitch their first shutout since 2012. Alvin Kamara was running like no tomorrow. Mike Thomas was catching touchdowns and running back Mark Ingram gave a solid outing.
The most telling stat was not in the box score though. The New Orleans Saints are only the third team since 1933 through their first four games without a turnover. That is an accomplishment that should be of note. In addition, CB Ken Crawley made a huge interception in the end zone, when Miami was starting to catch their own rhythm.
This quote from Mark Ingram says it all:
"We said this road trip was gonna define us as a team after the 0-2 start."
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That one statement may be telling. The Who Dats stand at 2-2 and are right back into contention. The first four games were always going to be the toughest stretch of four games all year. At this point, the Saints are in much better shape than just two weeks ago.
On the other hand, there are still a lot of questions. What team is going to show up the next four games? Obviously, the Saints can handle adversity. Now, the question will be, can the Saints start consistently playing over long stretches? There is really no evidence to this point. The only thing that’s for certain is the Saints have the ability.
Putting a solid month together is another thing. The Saints play three of the next four at home against Detroit, Chicago, and Tampa Bay. The only road game will be against the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 22. The next four should show all of us, what the true colors of this team really are.