The New Orleans Saints are set to face NFC South rival, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, twice in the last four weeks of the season. That's arguably the two best teams in the division facing off at the end of the division race and could decide the division.
Last year's champs, the Carolina Panthers, had a season last year that's got the feeling of a fluke. They did make some notable additions, like former Saints center Luke Fortner, former Eagles edge rusher Jaelen Phillips, and former Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd; however, the moves they made still don't feel like enough to make them back-to-back champs for the first time since 2013-2015.
The Falcons have been in a weird kind of purgatory since Matt Ryan left the team a few years ago. They made their own additions this past offseason as well, most notably Tua Tagovailoa and Jahan Dotson. However, the big question mark of their quarterback play and offense in general is enough to hold them back.
The Saints are close to leading the NFC South once again
The Saints and Buccaneers are one of the better rivalries in the league, with real animosity on the field at times. Even if the games have been more in the Bucs' favor over the past few years, the emergence of Tyler Shough changes things. In his one start against them, he came out with a victory.
When you go back and look at that one start, one could argue that the Week 14 win was when the offense really started to change for the better. One of the toughest wins of the Kellen Moore era, it set off a four-game winning streak. Unfortunately not enough to save the season; it was, however, enough to prove that the Saints can hold their own against Tampa Bay. That makes the end-of-year matchups even more interesting.
The expected winner of the NFC South, according to most media, unfortunately, isn't the Saints. Interestingly, it isn't last year's champions, the Carolina Panthers, either. According to Bleacher Report and Draft Kings, the winners will actually be the Buccaneers. Guess New Orleans will just have to get ready to surprise people, because apparently not everyone thinks that they're back just yet.
Although if you ask a team that they split the season with last year, the Saints are pretty close. "The general vibe from the Bucs side of things regarding the Saints is that they’re a young up-and-coming team who had a great offseason and could be a thorn in our sides for the next few years." Josh Crysler, site expert at The Pewter Plank, said. "They got a lot better this offseason, and the Bucs could have their work cut out for them."
The lack of more in the media, though, thinking that the Saints could win the division is something that's a bit surprising. Yes, the team is technically still in a rebuild, but the way they ended the season last year was a sight to behold. If they can manage to recreate that lightning-in-a-bottle-type energy, then there's no reason to think that they'll be a mediocre or less-than-average team.
It's like Crysler said. The Saints got a lot better this offseason, so why would they be on track for a similar season to 2025? The only feasible way for New Orleans to go here is up, so it's likely to be onwards and upwards for the team.
Add us as a preferred source on Google