Too Early Saints Thread

[UpstatePanther]

We still have 6 weeks before we face the Saints, and soooo much can happen in 6 weeks in the NFL. But I'm curious for everyone's thoughts on our inevitable meetings with New Orleans. How do you think we match up against them? Do you think they peaked too early? Will they drop some games between now and then? 

Personally I hate watching them right now. I don't understand how every team that plays the Saints shoots themselves in the foot so much. If any team with the minimum talent required would just play a mistake-free game against the Saints, I'm pretty confident the Saints would lose. Yet their last three opponents couldn't get out of their own way enough to actually beat the Saints. It's been infuriating. I think they may well have peaked too early. As the season drags on, defenses will have more and more to prepare with. It will catch up with them soon enough. Their remaining schedule is tough: 

Wk 10: @ Bengals

Wk 11: vs Eagles

Wk 12: vs Falcons

Wk 13: @ Cowboys

Wk 14: @ Buccaneers

Wk 15: @ Panthers

Wk 16: vs Steelers

Wk 17: vs Panthers

That's not an easy slate. Any one of those teams could beat the Saints. We need about 3 of them to do just that, since we will probably split with them.

It's also infuriating that they somehow drew Philly and Pittsburgh at home. Along with the Rams. Their hardest non-divisional away game was the freaking Vikings. Just stupid.

I'm not sure how the Panthers match up against them, except to say that if we continue running soft zone against them, Breezus will slice our defense up through the air. Hopefully Washington and Ron finally adjust. That being said, I can't wait to face them. We owe them big time for last year, we're good enough, and we play them late enough that I really think we'll have something for them. Anyway...

What are your thoughts?

[jfra78]

if we go 14-2 theres no way Saints can win the division. 

[Kevin Greene]

Welp, Zod pointed out that the Bucs actually have the #1 offense, at least going into yesterday. Can our CBs take out the Taints WR Thomas or at least severely limit what he produces? Yes I think, maybe with Bruce Irvin's help. ;-)

I think our offense can put plenty of points on their D.

I despise the Taints and until they spank us on the field this year they can kiss my ass.

[Daeavorn]

The Bucs may have the #1 offense, but Payton knows us and knows exactly how to attack our defense. Especially since Rivera doesn't seem to change much up year to year. 

 

Saints are the only team left on our schedule that scares me. I'm not sure if our defense can stop them enough for us to get ahead.

[Lumps]

Don’t believe we will beat the Saints. Don’t believe we will surpass them and will be in a wildcard hunt. The NFCS is just that good and the Saints are the best team in the NFC, period, fact. The only saving grace is the fact we are very familiar with them as a division rival. Regardless I just don’t see beating them at all this year, I just don’t. I hope I’m wrong.

[jfra78]

A lot of saints fans in here

[t96]

We'll split games each winning at home. We gotta take care of business in the rest of the games and hope they drop a couple and we win the division at 13-3 to their 12-4.

[Shaqil915]

Only if we learn to fully unleash our 3 headed home run monster in CMC/Samuel/Moore. That means giving Samuel more then 17 offensive snaps.

Our defense(or any NFL defense currently) isnt capable of stonewalling one of these high powered offenses. All you can do is put up as many points as possible and hope your defensive playmakers(which we have plenty of) can force a turnover or two.

[yayfootball]

The Saints are one of the best teams in the league, but they are not an unbeatable juggernaut. Case in point, they have already lost at home to the Bucs and eked out victories over the Browns, Falcons, and Ravens. We are also one of the best teams in the league and, like the Saints, have an offense that is darn near unstoppable. The Saints' offense has been a bit more consistent over the course of the season, but that's to be expected when we have a new coordinator, a bunch of new receivers, and a bunch of injuries early in the season.

The games will be tough, but we match up way better with the Saints than we did last year. Our offense is just much better overall than last year's unit, and the addition of Donte Jackson is huge for our defense's ability to match up with the Saints' offense. People love to complain about us playing soft coverage, but the reality is that we've played way more tight coverage and way more man-to-man coverage this year than we have the last couple years. We could never have played this way with Daryl Worley, but Jackson has the speed and instincts to stick with receivers. We are still vulnerable at the nickel, but it's a big improvement over last year when we had a hard time covering anybody.

The Saints also have a small vulnerability on offense that we will hopefully be able to exploit: they've fallen in love with option plays involving their backup quarterback. It seems pretty clear that this part of their offense is worse than the rest of it, and they would do well to abandon it. Hill just isn't a good enough runner to make up for taking the ball out of Brees' hands. But the Saints seem pretty committed to calling a few of these plays each game, including in some crucial short-yardage situations, so hopefully we can take advantage of that to get some big third or fourth down stops.

All in all, these should be some pretty even, entertaining games. With all due respect to the Rams, I think these are actually the two best teams in the NFC, so here's my bold prediction: the week 17 game will not just be winner-takes-the-division, it'll be winner-takes-the-1-seed.

[GoPanthers123]

We would have split with them last year as well if not for being unprepared for a 7-9 team in 2016 that got a lot better by hitting the draft jackpot.   We hung with them in the wildcard game as well.   So the split is the most likely outcome (we have the longest home active win streak at 9) but even if we have to play them in the dome in the playoffs that game is also very winnable.   Norv really took our O to the next level.  

[La Pantera]

I expect a slobber knocker, like every saints/panthers match ups. At the very least I see a split series.

[UpstatePanther]

Curious for enemy thoughts @saints4lifeagain lol

[saints4lifeagain]

35 minutes ago, UpstatePanther said:

Curious for enemy thoughts @saints4lifeagain lol

I'll comment later. Have to actually get some work done at the moment.

[RumHam]

12 hours ago, UpstatePanther said:

We still have 6 weeks before we face the Saints, and soooo much can happen in 6 weeks in the NFL. But I'm curious for everyone's thoughts on our inevitable meetings with New Orleans. How do you think we match up against them? Do you think they peaked too early? Will they drop some games between now and then? 

Personally I hate watching them right now. I don't understand how every team that plays the Saints shoots themselves in the foot so much. If any team with the minimum talent required would just play a mistake-free game against the Saints, I'm pretty confident the Saints would lose. Yet their last three opponents couldn't get out of their own way enough to actually beat the Saints. It's been infuriating. I think they may well have peaked too early. As the season drags on, defenses will have more and more to prepare with. It will catch up with them soon enough. Their remaining schedule is tough: 

Wk 10: @ Bengals

Wk 11: vs Eagles

Wk 12: vs Falcons

Wk 13: @ Cowboys

Wk 14: @ Buccaneers

Wk 15: @ Panthers

Wk 16: vs Steelers

Wk 17: vs Panthers

That's not an easy slate. Any one of those teams could beat the Saints. We need about 3 of them to do just that, since we will probably split with them.

It's also infuriating that they somehow drew Philly and Pittsburgh at home. Along with the Rams. Their hardest non-divisional away game was the freaking Vikings. Just stupid.

I'm not sure how the Panthers match up against them, except to say that if we continue running soft zone against them, Breezus will slice our defense up through the air. Hopefully Washington and Ron finally adjust. That being said, I can't wait to face them. We owe them big time for last year, we're good enough, and we play them late enough that I really think we'll have something for them. Anyway...

What are your thoughts?

For those fug hags, that's an easy schedule with their toughest opponent being this week on the road in cincy. They will get all the calls at home as Brees is now the golden boy that must win another super bowl. The league doesn't want another nick foles. Seriously, Eagles and Falcons at home are wins, and then dallas and tampa on the road? Big whoop. I still think we get them in our house, but they'll beat Pitt at home and probably beat us at home because of Hurricane Katrina 20 years later. fug the saints, fug the nfl, and fug PFF.