Consistency is a trait that has eluded the New Orleans Saints this season, at least in the positive sense. They have a chance to change that this week when they face off against the Carolina Panthers.
You have to go back to the middle of last season to find the last time the Saints have won consecutive games. The change from Dennis Allen to Darren Rizzi provided a temporary jolt to the Saints' system before dropping five of the last six games.
It also saw the Saints feast on bottom feeders. That won't be the case here. New Orleans will have to go through the Buccaneers and Panthers. One half of that mission is complete. To achieve part two, the Saints will need to maintain and build off last week's strong game by both sides of the ball.
Saints have a bad habit of following wins with disappointment
Every time it feels like the Saints are energizing the fan base they respond by falling flat on their face. After beating the Giants, New Orleans came up short against the New England Patriots. That game didn't get ugly but it was deflating. The defense gave up big plays and the offense once again failed to generate production.
That pales in comparison to what we saw after beating the Panthers. In the first win of the Tyler Shough era, there was a special feeling. It was more than just a win, the offense looked different. Unfortunately, that didn't carry over to a game against the Falcons post-bye week. The game felt like a certain victory, even would have taken New Orleans out of last place, but the consistency wasn't there.
Truthfully, the win over the Giants felt more like relief than a momentum builder. This win versus the Buccaneers feels eerily similar to the victory over Carolina. It feels like a spark, but the Saints have to prove they're more than a flash every now and then. Beating the Panthers would be a good win and feel much better than the Titans and Jets being your back-to-back wins.
If there was any sign the Saints were prepared to break the habit, it would be the frequency of victory. The Saints only have three wins, but these last two wins were closer together than the first and second victory.
New Orleans lost their first four games before beating the Giants. It took another month of losing before the Saints were able to secure their second victory.