The New Orleans Saints have not made the playoffs since Drew Brees decided to hang up the cleats, and NFL analyst Colin Cowherd doesn’t expect that to change any time soon. Despite Brees’ absence, the Saints future looked bright when head coach Sean Payton and Jameis Winston got off to a 5-2 start in 2021. Unfortunately, the quarterback suffered a season-ending ACL injury and the team collapsed with Trevor Semien, Tayson Hill, and Ian Book running the offense. Payton retired following the season, allowing Dennis Allen another shot as a head coach.
Allen has produced a 16-18 record through two seasons despite New Orleans continuing to kick the can down the road with constant contract restructures. Last year, New Orleans spent big on Derek Carr but still couldn’t win the least competitive division in football. On paper, the 2024 Saints are worse than their 2023 counterparts, and Colin Cowherd believes Allen will be the first coach fired in the 2024 season. However, he also said that the Carolina Panthers are “undoubtedly” a better team, which is a bit of a questionable take.
"I think Dennis Allen is the first coach to be let go…Atlanta and Carolina are undoubtedly better teams. No question… I don't see the juice offensively"
— Colin Cowherd gives his "Bold Predictions" for the NFL season pic.twitter.com/1x8yYYbnrf
— Saints Film Room (@SaintsFilmRoom) August 20, 2024
Colin Cowherd: Panthers Are “Undoubtedly” Better Than Saints
It’s hard to argue against the majority of what Cowherd says in the above clip. Several analysts across the league believed New Orleans would fire Allen after they missed the playoffs last year. While the Saints decided to keep him, it’s safe to assume he’s on the hot seat. At the end of the day, you need to win football games if you want to keep your job, and there just hasn’t been enough of that in New Orleans. This isn’t a rebuild either, as New Orleans continuously builds win-now rosters, for better or worse. Allen is one of the top betting favorites to be the first coach fired, so Colin Cowherd is right to say the Saints could get rid of him early.
On top of that, the Falcons appear to be better than the Saints. Football games are played for a reason, and there is a chance Atlanta or New Orleans surprises the world. However, on paper, the Falcons are a considerably better team. Since going 7-10 last year, the team added a legitimate quarterback in Kirk Cousins and bolstered the defense with guys like Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons. With the reigning NFC South Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers effectively bringing last year’s team back for another run, these two should be considered the division favorites.
The Hot Take
The only part of the Colin Cowherd clip that’s hard to agree with is the part where he says the Panthers are “undoubtedly” better than the Saints. Carolina is coming off an atrocious season, finishing with a much-deserved 2-15 record while struggling to move the ball on offense and stop much of anything on defense. To be fair, the Panthers made some notable additions on offense by trading for Diontae Johnson, investing in the offensive line, and using a first-round pick on Xavier Legette.
However, that probably won’t be enough to turn this team into a legitimate playoff threat. The jury is still out on whether or not Bryce Young can be a franchise quarterback, and the defense will struggle to replace Brian Burns. The Saints are not a perfect team by any stretch of the imagination, but they’re still better than the Panthers, no matter what Colin Cowherd says.
Main Photo: Stephen Lew – USA Today Sports
