The New Orleans Saints are finally home. After being away from New Orleans for over a month, the Saints are back practicing and will play their first home game of the season in Week 4. Everyone, including the team and coaching staff, is getting healthy. The Saints bye week is not until Week 6 but this is a big marker for the team. The next two games until then are very winnable. The coach speak says to take everything one game at a time but the Saints situation is well worth the look. After so much early season turmoil, the Saints have a shot to march into their bye week three games over .500 and riding high.
New Orleans Saints Waving off Early Season Woes
The Saints season was rocky before the regular season would even start. Hurricane Ida cancelled the Saints last preseason game and then displaced the team. The entire organization would have to transfer practices and offices into the Dallas area. The first “home” game actually took place in Jacksonville, thanks to the Jaguars offering their stadium. The next two games were actual road games, where the Saints finished 1-1. This turmoil looks to be close to over though. The Saints returned to New Orleans for the first time after this past week’s victory against the New England Patriots. This is just one of the things that has turned around for the Saints recently.
Early-season injuries have also been too plentiful with the Saints early this season. The Saints have lost players in the secondary, defensive line, offensive line, and wide receiver units. Michael Thomas remains on the NFL’s PUP list. Then in Week 2, the Saints lost important players like C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marshon Lattimore. This is in addition to the players that landed on the short-term IR list like Kwon Alexander and Marcus Davenport. The Saints recovered several players in the Week 3 win against the Patriots but lost another offensive lineman. Terron Armstead is now set to miss some time with an elbow injury. The good news though is that the Saints bye week might be coming at the exact right time. If the Saints can get through these next two weeks, the team could be at full force in Week 7.
Saints Trying to March Into Bye Week
The Saints schedule after their bye week gets more difficult. Injuries were one thing but the Saints also had Covid-19 issues in the coaching staff. The health and recovery of the team is very important. The Saints could have Michael Thomas, Kwon Alexander, Terron Armstead, and Marcus Davenport all returning from injury right after the bye. Being able to practice in New Orleans and have home games will also bolster the team. The Saints will need these factors after the bye. On the schedule is the Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, and Buffalo Bills within a six-week stretch. If the Saints can finish strong before their bye week, these opponents will not look as daunting. This challenge begins in Week 4 against the New York Giants, an opponent who could begin the Saints’ march into their bye week riding high.
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