Will early bye put the brakes on Saints resurgence?
After gaining momentum with back to back wins, will the Week 5 bye cause the Saints to sputter?
After going a particularly ugly 0-2 to start the season, the Saints overcame the early adversity to win their next two games. They seemed to really establish a tempo, especially on the defensive side of the ball. But will the Week 5 bye interrupt the new-found rhythm?
The Saints’ back-to-back wins in Weeks 3 and 4 proved that when this team gets on a roll, they look like serious contenders. After stomping on the Panthers 34-13 in Week 3 and shutting out the Dolphins 20-0 in London, it looked like the Saints were firing on all cylinders.
More from Who Dat Dish
- Are the Saints playoff contenders or pretenders in 2022?
- 3 takeaways from Saints unofficial depth chart ahead of preseason opener
- Saints 2022 Training Camp: Top 5 takeaways from Day 13
- 3 things to know about new Saints QB K.J. Costello
- Kirk Merritt could be a difficult player for the Saints to cut
Enter week 5; the Saints bye week. All the pent-up energy and excitement from two impressive wins has to be channeled into practices. There’s a chance that same energy will ebb slightly come Week 6 against the Lions.
In professional sports, momentum is everything. In-game momentum can be a microcosm of the entire season. String a few drives together in a game; you might get the W. Hit your stride leading up to and throughout the playoffs, you might win it all.
If the Saints lose their momentum in Week 6 and lose to the Lions, it could derail the entire season.
They will have to immediately follow up against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, a daunting task for any team.
Next: Alvin Kamara is Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week
If the Saints find themselves 2 games under .500 heading into the halfway point of the season, it could be an uphill battle the rest of the way.
And with 2 of the last 4 games of the season against the Super Bowl runner-up Falcons, the Saints need to ace the next few games to set themselves up nicely.
The team’s recent momentum could give them a boost against the next few tough opponents. That is, of course, if the team can hold the momentum through the bye week.