The New Orleans Saints had one of the most roller coaster games on Sunday, as they fell to the Lions 30-31 in overtime. However, not all is lost for the team, as they're now sitting at "second spot" in the NFC South.
Being in football's worst division has its advantages, because only there can a team fail to score in the first half while remaining one game behind first place. Somehow, that day offered even worse losses for the Saints division rivals. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons both lost on the road as well; however, neither of theirs featured a near 21-0 comeback.
With those L's combined with the Carolina Panthers' loss at home, week two gives the entire division a clean slate. Next week in Baltimore is a chance for the Saints to get sole possession of first place, and if their defense keeps up the good work, then it could very well happen. If their offense actually comes running out of the gate in week two, the Saints have a chance of not looking back.
The Saints' defense is set to face another top offense in week two
The Saints' next opponent won't be as forgiving as the Lions, if their week one performance has anything to say about it. Never trailing past the first few minutes, the Baltimore Ravens beat the Indianapolis Colts by the double digits, 41-23. Luckily, the Saints' defense might be up to the task.
They did handle a top five offense (Detroit) already, holding them to just 204 passing yards. That caused the Lions to really feed the rock to Jahmyr Gibbs, which made their offense one-dimensional and helped fuel a near comeback victory. If the New Orleans defensive core can force anything like that out of Lamar Jackson and Co., then next Sunday will be a lot easier than the last.
Forcing an offense like Detroit's to be one-dimensional is a sign of what the defense is and that the hype-filled offseason wasn't for nothing. However, Baltimore's offense isn't Detroit's; in fact, it's likely even better. Lamar Jackson is still playing at an MVP-like level, putting up 324 passing yards in his first W of the season.
But for that reason, they're exactly the kind of team the Saints' defense could make its name against. Win or lose against the Ravens, the Saints' defense could truly define themselves early on if they put up any kind of performance like they did against the Lions. Not only that, but they could help push the Saints to the top of the division if all the cards play out right.
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