The Saints are on pace with the 2009 Super Bowl team in the most encouraging way
It’s only been two games; it’s a bit irresponsible to start talking about the Super Bowl, regardless of how well the New Orleans Saints started the season. However, the similarities between the 2024 Saints and the 2009 New Orleans team, that did win the Super Bowl, are hard to ignore.
In Week 1, when New Orleans won 47-10, everyone pointed out how the only other time the Saints scored more than 40 points in a season opener was in 2009. Well, in that 2009 season, New Orleans followed up it’s season-opening win with a 48-22 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2024, the Saints kept pace winning 44-19 over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.
Now, the 2024 Saints find themselves in an elite category: among teams with the most points in the first two games of the season. Since the merger, only one team has scored more than New Orleans (91) in the first two games— the 2009 Super-Bowl winning Saints, who scored 93 points. Additionally, post merger, only one other team has scored 91 points in the first two weeks: the 1971 Cowboys. They also won the Super Bowl that season.
Most points in first two games of a season since merger
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 15, 2024
2009 Saints 93 (Won Super Bowl)
2024 @Saints 91 (👀)
1971 Cowboys 91 (Won Super Bowl) pic.twitter.com/9SFKacn5af
Saints are playing at a Super Bowl level through two weeks
New Orleans, in 2024, has a lot more work to do to reach the status of those teams. The 2009 Saints didn’t lose a game until Week 15, and had four regular-season games with more than 40 points. The 1971 Cowboys finished the regular season 11-3, scoring over 40 five times that season.
The current Saints have a lot more scoring and winning to do, and most importantly, they have to win a Super Bowl to really join this class. While that’s many steps away, fans should still be encouraged New Orleans is even in this territory.
The Saints haven’t had an offense this promising since Drew Brees was under center and Sean Payton was calling plays. The defense has been good in recent years, but the offense has just been average. Now, both sides of the ball are playing elite. If the team can continue to play at this level, and remain healthy, the Super Bowl becomes a real possibility.
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