There is nothing better than Thanksgiving as a holiday. The food spread always is second to none versus any other holiday. People are usually in a jolly mood. Jokes seem funnier. Furthermore, the desserts tickle the palate with cream puffs and pumpkin pie.
Perfect. Exquisite. And as good as the holiday is, eating leftovers for days after is heaven. Nothing beats a turkey sandwich from a huge turkey breast. Sensational. Mouth-watering.
All is well and good until the leftovers start to develop a devilish odor from the refrigerator. That’s when it’s time to throw the leftovers out. Of course, the better avenue to take on the safe side is tossing the leftovers before the smell hits. Right now, the smell is coming from the locker room all the way to the front office for the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints are Cooked
Right now, the New Orleans Saints winning ways are very close to being expired. In other words, it’s not only the main course but plenty of side dishes that need to be thrown out. In short, the Saints stink. For the older fans, this stretch of awful play is only a blip on the radar. Especially the Baby Boomers and Generation X fans.
Some have waited for a decade or two for a winning season. Playoffs back in the 1980s didn’t exist. And the 90s brought Jim Mora and the Dome Patrol. Those teams were highly respected, yet still could not win a playoff game.
A majority of the Millenial generation only knows the Sean Payton era along with Drew Brees. Regardless, this 2022 Saints team is hanging by the finest thread.
After the 13-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Saints sit at 4-8 in the NFC South division.
The teams ahead keep losing to give hope to a team resembling a cellar dweller. The question now is what now? It’s not out of the question for a 7-10 team to win the division. The ceiling may sit at 8-9. Still, the Saints remain alive for at least another week. The black and gold face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a must-win showdown. Either way, the odds look to be against the Saints — even with a lackluster division.
The questions for next year loom large, as no one player or coach is exempt from blame. Surely, coach Dennis Allen is preparing for the next game. Surely, the front office has to be planning how and what the 2023 Saints look like.
Defense Underperforms in 2022
First of all, even the great defensive effort against the 49ers leaves plenty of questions on the defensive side. The Saints scoring defense is ranked 20th out of 32. The rushing defense is giving up 129 yards per game. Last year was only 93.5 yards per contest.
Even worse, the Saints stingy defense allowed only 3.7 yards per attempt and is now giving up 4.5 per carry. All these numbers point to a failure to live up to expectations.
As bad as these numbers are, the turnover differential is atrocious currently at -13. Last year at the end of the season, the Saints finished at +7. Calculating this equals a 20-point turnover change as of the current day in 2022.
Turnovers Turnovers Turnovers
There is much more to the downfall of this team. That being said, there are some positives. Don’t look now but quarterback Andy Dalton is in the top ten for passer rating as of Week 13. Also, his 7.5 yards per completion is impressive. Now the yards per game aren’t exactly mind-blowing at 225 yards per game. Still, he’s no doubt the best option right now under center.
Rookie sensation Chris Olave broke out huge in his first season too. Linebacker Pete Werner made huge steps to show his improvement as well.
Ultimately, the Saints have to win Monday. And then keep winning. It’s difficult to see a dramatic turnaround with five games left. But the games need to play out. A miracle finish is the only thing keeping the Saints from dropping from last year’s feisty 9-8 finish.
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