Saints have made the wrong kind of history after the first four weeks of the season
After the first two weeks of the season, the New Orleans Saints had everyone cracking open the record books. Dropping 91 points in the first two games of the year put the Saints in elite territory, as they were being compared to past Super Bowl teams. Unfortunately for New Orleans, things have quickly tumbled downhill.
Two weeks later, the team is now 2-2. While the two losses can be blamed on injuries or a couple of mindless decisions, the reality is the Saints are a .500 team after four weeks, despite their dominant start to the year. That reality also has people opening up the record books, and unfortunately for New Orleans, the team is now making the wrong kind of history.
Following the Week 4 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Saints reporter Luke Johnson pointed out New Orleans has outscored opponents by a combined score of 127-70, but are only 2-2. That makes the Saints the only team in NFL history with a +55 scoring differential through four games, that didn’t have a winning record.
As Johnson also pointed out, the 1981 Buffalo Bills also got off to a 2-2 start, but their point differential was +54, three points less than New Orleans’.
Through four games, the Saints have outscored opponents by a combined 127-70 score and they have a 2-2 to show for it.
— Luke Johnson (@ByLukeJohnson) September 29, 2024
As far as I can tell, they are the first team in NFL history with a +55 scoring differential through 4 games to have a .500 or worse record.
Saints’ two-game skid has put them in the record books
It’s easy to look at this and say the point differential is inflated by the two blowout wins New Orleans started the season with. Defeating the Carolina Panthers 47-10 and the Dallas Cowboys 44-19, the team’s point differential was +62 after two weeks. While that’s true, teams that record blowout wins are typically good, and find ways to win more games, even if they aren’t a blowout.
The Saints haven’t been able to do that yet, and this stat shows just how bad that is. Luckily, it’s only been four games. The first two games of the year didn’t define New Orleans’ season, so the last two don’t have to either. They still have a ton of time to figure it out and start stacking wins.
The 1981 Bills, who started 2-2 despite a +54 point differential, went on to finish the regular season 10-6, making the playoffs and winning a Wild Card game. The Saints are hoping they can go down a similar path, with even more postseason success.
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