The Saints’ rivals are saving New Orleans’ season from being a complete nightmare

For New Orleans Saints fans, it feels like the team has hit rock bottom. The last time the team was on the field, they were being embarrassed by Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos. The Saints look like a team without a culture, and the constant injuries certainly don’t help.

For fans who are only locked in on New Orleans, it probably seems like this season is already a nightmare. With five losses before Week 8, and some key players out for the season, some might argue it’s time for the Saints to turn their attention to the draft.

However, if Saints fans can lift their heads up from the gloom the team has overcasted, they’ll see the sun is actually still shining behind the clouds. In other words, things are pretty rough right now for New Orleans, but they aren’t as bad as they could be.

The Saints have their rivals to thank for that. While New Orleans is struggling, the team is very much still alive, because no one in the NFC South has separated yet.

Saints are still alive in a competitive NFC South

New Orleans is an abysmal 2-5. However, one of the three 1-6 teams in the NFL, the Carolina Panthers, resides in the NFC South. The two teams in front of the Saints are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons— both with 4-3 records entering Week 8.

There are only two divisions, out of eight, where a 4-3 record sits at the top. The NFC South is one, and the NFC West is the other. Fortunately for New Orleans, it’s in the NFC South, so a division crown is still very feasible.

The Saints still have to play all three teams in the division for a second time. Just two games back, New Orleans could give the Falcons and the Buccaneers an additional loss. That alone would close the gap to one game. With nine other games on both teams’ schedule, it’s extremely unlikely they win all those games.

That means New Orleans is very much in the mix, the team just needs to play better and win some games. The Saints were in the exact same position a year ago, and put together a strong second half to finish with a 9-7 record. A 9-7 record ultimately won the NFC South, but it was Tampa Bay who had the tiebreaker.

Something similar could happen this season, New Orleans just needs to stay the course, get healthy, and find a way to win games. If the Saints do that, they could end up in the postseason, and in the playoffs, anything can happen.

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