It goes without saying that the 2016 season hasn’t quite gone the way the Who Dat Nation hoped. Although expectations weren’t incredibly high heading into the year, the season ran its course and presented opportunities to exceed expectations. A combination of misfortune, injuries and individual efforts resulted in the inability to capitalize on those opportunities.
Five Things to Look Forward to in New Orleans Saints Finale
With that said, there are still some great reasons to tune in to the New Orleans Saints season finale this week as they take on the Atlanta Falcons on the road. What we do know is the Saints will miss the playoffs for the third year in a row, while the Falcons have locked up the NFC South title. What we don’t know is why we tune in on Sundays.
Here are five things to look out for in this week 17 match-up:
Saints Finish with 8-8 Record
While most teams don’t head into a season shooting for an 8-8 record, accomplishing this would be great for the psyche of the New Orleans Saints. The Saints have finished their last two seasons, and three of their last four, at 7-9. Their seasons have all followed the same formula. They have started slow, reached .500 at a point, lost immediately after and were not able to get back to .500 from that point on. If the Saints are to lose this weekend, the 2016 campaign will again follow that same pattern.
With the recent talks of head coach Sean Payton possibly being dealt this off-season by the Saints, the 8-8 record may help make the case for ownership to keep him around. Aside from Payton having the best pedigree of the coaching options the Saints will have for 2017, he did lead the team to their only Super Bowl.
Saints Can Knock Falcons Out of Second Seed in Playoffs
Petty?
Maybe. But Saints fans love beating the Falcons, especially when it can affect their playoff picture. The Falcons currently sit as the second seed in the NFC playoff bracket. If the Saints are to beat the Falcons, a win by the Seattle Seahawks (at San Francisco) would move Seattle into that second slot. A loss by both combined with a win by the Detroit Lions (versus Green Bay) would give the Lions the first round bye in the two slot.
Drew Brees Throwing for 5,000 Yards, Again
Drew Brees enters week 17 with a league-leading 4,858 passing yards. That total is only 142 yards short of the 5,000-yard mark. If Brees hits that milestone, it would be the fifth time he would do it in his career. To put that in perspective, there are only four other quarterbacks that have done it in NFL history and each one has only done it once (Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Matthew Stafford and Tom Brady). Brees accomplished this in 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2013. He threw for 376 yards earlier this year against the Falcons.
Michael Thomas Reaching 1,000 Receiving Yards
The New Orleans Saints stole Michael Thomas in the 2016 NFL Draft, picking him with their second round selection (47th pick overall). Thomas is the total package as far as wide receivers go (see my write-up on Thomas from early this year).
After seeing teammate Brandin Cooks hit the mark in week 15 against the Arizona Cardinals, it’s Michael Thomas’ turn. Heading into this week’s inter-divisional matchup, Thomas has 981 receiving yards, just 19 yards short of the 1,000-yard mark. Atlanta’s defense ranks 26th against the pass, so expect this milestone to be hit early. In fact, there is an outside shot that teammate Willie Snead could also hit the 1,000-yard mark as he is 187 yards short at this point. Michael Thomas had 71 yards receiving with a TD in their week three match-up earlier this year.
Mark Ingram Reaching 1,000 Rushing Yards
Mark Ingram’s career high in rushing yardage for his six-year NFL career is 964 yards. He has a chance to not only eclipse that, but also notch his first 1,000-yard season. Ingram currently has 940 yards on the season. Needing only 60 yards against the league’s 16th ranked rush defense, expectations are that the Saints will feed the Alabama product until he gets his number.
Since his outburst on the sideline of the Saints-Cardinals game, Ingram has been running with a more aggressive edge. In their week three match-up earlier this year, Ingram ran for 77 yards.
