Despite sitting idle in Week 8, the New Orleans Saints found themselves in an even worse position than the one they walked into the week in. They say misery loves company, and while the Saints were already last in the NFC South, at least they had solace in knowing they were tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now, they're all alone in the basement.
There was only so much things could change for the Saints. The Bucs and Atlanta Falcons played each other, so there was no way the entire division could lose or win. A Tampa Bay win and a Carolina loss was technically the best outcome the Saints, even if it leaves them alone in the division.
Carolina and Falcons losing made it to where the three teams ahead of the Saints all have three wins compared to the Saints' two victories. There was a reality where two teams walked into this upcoming week with four wins, and that would have been the worst case scenario. Atlanta winning, alone, would have been terrible because the Saints already lost to them.
Saints are the only team in the NFC South that isn’t showing heart
The Saints deserve to sit at the bottom of the NFC South. It's still a very congested division that is up for grabs, but the Saints haven't shown anything that'll make fans believe they can take advantage of a struggling division.
The Saints are also the only team in the division without a divisional victory. To add insult to injury, they’re the only team in the division to lose to the Falcons, and everyone has played them.
In some ways, you could argue this week transpired the way the Saints needed because no team reached four wins. However, Tampa Bay building momentum is worse than any record in Week 8.
The Buccaneers are quietly picking up steam, and they don't feel heartless. The Saints feel heartless, and they may be the only team you can say that about.
The Panthers are inconsistent, but we've seen their successes sprinkled throughout the season. The same could be said for the Falcons, as they beat the 49ers just last week.
Tampa Bay battled through with a backup quarterback and took the Steelers to overtime, and they've won their last two games, both division matchups, with 64 yards passing in one game and 0 yards on three attempts this week. That doesn't foreshadow positivity for a Saints defense that struggles to stop the run.
When the team was significantly punching up, they showed all the heart in the world. Little did we know, it was also all the heart the Saints had for the season. Things haven't been the same after Week 2, and the collapse against the Raiders was the moment it all flipped.
Everyone in the NFC South feels like they're building towards something other than the Saints. That's worse than everyone technically being within one game of each other.
Add us as a preferred source on Google