Forget what’s happened the last 13 weeks. At least for now. The last three weeks of the season should give insight into how January will play out. Nothing has been decided for the New Orleans Saints concerning the clinching of a first round bye yet. Actually, it’s still possible for the Saints to get home field advantage throughout the playoffs. On the other hand, the black and gold could be playing on the road for most of January. The path towards the former starts with a game on Monday Night Football.
December Is the Key for January’s Success, Starting With Monday Night Football
Small Step Back for the Saints
Unfortunately, the Saints are no longer in control of their own seeding. The loss to the San Francisco 49ers last week put them at least temporarily in the third seed behind the Green Bay Packers. Still, the Saints can put plenty of pressure by winning out.
Of course, this starts on Monday Night Football against the Indianapolis Colts. And make no mistake, the Colts are a desperate team needing to win out to even have a chance of making the playoffs.
Its hard to see the Saints losing back to back games at home. However, the games in December are a different animal. And these next two games are potential playoff contenders. Not to mention, the last two games are on the road. But first up are the Colts. At one point of the season the Colts sat at 5-2, looking to compete for the AFC South. Since then, the Colts have lost five of the last six. That being said, the Colts are still alive albeit barely.
The Colts went through some rough batches. A two game stretch without their starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett accounted for a couple of losses. In addition, the usually reliable kicker Adam Vinatieri was the worse kicker in the league under 75% this year. Some would say the kicker alone cost them at least two games. Regardless, the 6-7 record looks to be very underachieving. Injuries have plagued the team too. But all those things don’t matter in these last three weeks. The Colts come in with little to lose. Look for the Colts to play extremely reckless. A team coming into December having a minute chance of making the playoffs can be very dangerous.
Drew Brees Working on Cruise Control
This game calls for a steady performance by Drew Brees. As a matter of fact, the next two months will depend on him. This may be his last rodeo. If not, it’s getting closer and closer for sure. “I’m not going to minimize the meeting of what a Monday Football game is at home and just how excited we get about that and our fans,” Brees said in his weekly conference call. “But again, you approach every game the same. It is not like, ‘oh’, we are playing on Monday Night Football, let’s crank it up a notch’.
This game doesn’t call for any trickery or lights out record breaking nights. The Saints are simply a much better team than the Colts. This is a game where a nice steady pace wins this matchup. A normal day should be enough by the usual suspects of Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas. Surely, expect a fight from the Colts. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Colts jump out early. This is it for them.
Close out the Game and Move on
The Saints are not under the same pressure. Still, look for another close game going into the fourth quarter. But look how the Saints finish. The Saints are favorite by nine points for a reason. The way this game ends could dictate the mood going into the next two games on the road after. Even with the injuries, the Saints are expected to flex their muscles and take over this game.
The only way the Colts have a chance is hitting on the big plays. If the Saints’ defense allows 24 points or under, this game should go the Saints way. Also, the penalties have to be under control. Especially, in the secondary. That’s it. Close this game with a solid outing from Drew Brees is all that’s needed. Expect a hard fought win.
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