The New Orleans Saints are riding high with a victory over the Carolina Panthers followed by their bye week. Morale up and they will be rested, but can they keep the momentum they built or will it all come crashing down next week against the Atlanta Falcons?
The Saints are currently last place in the NFC South, however, a win next week would give them the tiebreaker and push them above the 3-7 Falcons. This is an extremely winnable game with the spots both teams are in. The Saints have lots of momentum with a win and the team is rallying behind Tyler Shough. The Falcons on the other hand have lost their last five games and are at a new low.
However, all isn’t perfect in New Orleans. They looked great against the Panthers, but inconsistencies have plagued them this season and they haven’t been able to string together wins. They were in a similar situation after beating the Giants. They must respond differently this time.
Was the Saints win a turning point, or was it a mirage against a weak team?
There’s concern that the Saints win only happened because the Panthers played badly. However, I don’t believe that’s the case. The Panthers aren’t a bad team contrary to recent years. They are 6-5 and firmly in second place in the division. Even if they had a bad game, the Saints still made major jumps in various aspects of the game.
Regardless of how they played, the defense still had a fabulous day. Brandon Staley schemed up a gem and the defense executed. They completely shut down the run and the secondary was good enough to stop Young. It’s alright for fans to be weary, but there should be hope that this defense has turned the corner. This will be tested against a good Falcons offense led by Bijan Robinson and Drake London.
If it was a mirage, it wasn't because the Saints feasted on the "poor" Panthers. This was a really good win versus a solid team, who just beat the Falcons to move within a half game of the divisional lead. If it's a mirage, it's because the Saints were once again unable to take momentum from a win to the following week.
It feels less likely, because you saw offense and defense perform well in the same game. They'll have to remain consistent with their rushing game. It's been one of their biggest challenges this season, and it's their best route to victory. If they're able to establish consistency, this game versus Carolina will be viewed more like a turning point than a mirage.