New Orleans Saints: A brief recap of the first half of the 2019 season

Looking back at the first half of the Saints’ season has Who Dat Nation anticipating what is yet to come.  The New Orleans Saints are 7-1 at the bye week and mid-point of the NFL season. 

Only minutes into the second game of the year, Who Dat Nation began calculating potential wins and losses. Would the New Orleans Saints still be a playoff team? That was a legit question by some.

Drew Brees would leave the game with a torn UCL (of the thumb) and not return.  What happened next would only intensify the uncertainty.  New Orleans would fall to 1-1 at the hands of a recent nemesis, the Los Angeles Rams. It was a 30-9 loss.

With help from stellar defensive play, Teddy Bridgewater guided the team to a 5-0 record in Brees’ absence.  New Orleans defeated Seattle, Dallas, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and Chicago with Bridgewater at the helm.

Seattle, Dallas, and Chicago will go down as some of New Orleans’ most impressive wins of the season.

In Brees’ return, the Saints defeated the Arizona Cardinals extending the win streak to six before breaking for the bye.

This effort lands the Saints three-games ahead in the division and only one game behind the San Francisco 49ers for the top spot in the NFC.

As noted by FanSided NFL’s Ryan Brown, “The Saints have proven themselves to be one of the most talented and well-coached teams in the league. [Securing sevens wins against opponents with a .594 win percentage outside of games against the Saints]”

With the third-best record in the NFL, against one of the toughest schedules through eight games, the Saints look poised for another deep playoff run. With a handful of divisional games still on the schedule, the load will lighten up a bit for Who Dat Nation.

Moving forward, the question is no longer if this team is a playoff team. The question is can this team truly compete with the best for a Super Bowl. Let’s just say we’re pretty confident we already know the answer to this one.