It’s been three seasons since the New Orleans Saints made the playoffs. They’ve gotten close, going 9-8, 7-10 and 9-8 over the past three years, but close isn’t enough in sports. In fact, closure often results in job losses. That may be the issue for New Orleans in 2024. If the Saints have another mediocre season, there could be a lot of changes for the franchise.
However, New Orleans may not have to worry about that as the team is believed to be equipped to make the jump to contender status. Gary Davenport, in a recent article for Bleacher Report, ranked the 10 teams most likely to become legitimate contenders next season. The New Orleans Saints ranked seventh on the list.
Davenport explained how New Orleans hovered just outside the playoffs with nearly 500 team records. In conclusion, Davenport simply said: “The Saints are not a bad team. With a few breaks, a 10-win season and an NFC South title could be theirs. However, New Orleans is also a flawed team that could just as easily go 7-10.
That’s the best way to put it. Saints fans, who are the team’s harshest critics, will admit that the team is not bad. They’re just not good either. This is probably the worst place to be; a purgatory of mediocrity. Too bad to win anything, but too good to make the radical changes that might be necessary. Davenport even talked about how Mickey Loomis thinks it’s too early to judge Dennis Allen as a head coach.
However, the clock must be on in New Orleans. Either the Saints will return to winning ways, making the playoffs, or they will miss the playoffs for a fourth straight year, and the franchise will be forced to make these dramatic changes.
