The Saints were a miracle away from the NFC Championship last season. With young studs on offense and defense along with one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, I see no reason why more success isn’t coming their way.
1st Down: When will Drew Brees decline start?
At 39 years old, the greatest quarterback in Saints history will have to face Father Time eventually. Luckily for Brees the Saints built a team around him good enough for him to age gracefully. Last season saw Brees’ yards per game average dip below 300 for the first time since 2010. His touchdown totals were their lowest since 2007 and his total yardage was the lowest of his Saints’ career. Check this out though, Sean Peyton and company will gladly take a dip in Brees’ numbers if it means he isn’t winning games single-handedly the way he did for the majority of his career - Brees playing for a team this balanced may be even more deadly for opponents.
2nd Down: How will this offense look without Mark Ingram?
While Alvin Kamara’s electrifying play took the league by storm last season let’s not forget that Mark Ingram was the starter and a Pro Bowler in his own right. The Saints dynamic duo created matchup nightmares for defensive coordinators as both players were solid in both the run and pass games. Now that Ingram faces a four-game suspension from the NFL it’s up to the Saints to determine how to deploy Kamara. Will they utilize him as a workhorse for the first quarter of the season or still use him as a member of a committee? We’ll see week 1.
3rd Down: Can the Saints defense repeat last year’s efforts?
We can speak all we want about the Saints dynamic offense, but the reason they were a serious contender for the Lombardi trophy last year was because they had one of the best defenses in the NFL. Last year’s first-round pick Marshon Lattimore immediately made an impact on his way to Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and a Pro Bowl appearance. Fellow rookie Marcus Williams biggest memory is Stefon Diggs game-winning touchdown off of his blown coverage in the playoffs, but quiet as kept Williams was a quality player for the Saints in his first season. If he’s able to put that play behind him he should be one of the be another key component to a playoff quality defense. Cameron Jordan is in his prime and has a new running mate in the form of rookie Marcus Davenport after the Saints traded up to select him along with veteran Sheldon Rankins. This defense has a lot of talent, another leap forward will mean bad news for the rest of the league.
4th Down: Can the Saints offensive line remain healthy?
The Saints have a lot of youth along their offensive line to the point that an injury could be hugely detrimental to their Super Bowl aspirations. The group played at a high-level last season keeping Drew Brees healthy and paving the way for a dominant ground game. They’ll need a repeat effort to remain on top of the standings once again.
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