Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon was inspired by Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals missing the playoffs to create a list of the seven best seasons in the NFL since 2010 that amounted to nothing. Burrow inspired this list, and his teammate Ja’Marr Chase could have made the list. It’s stunning to think those two players had the season they had, and the Bengals missed the playoffs.
They fell short in a fashion the New Orleans Saints are too familiar with, great offense with questionable defense. Drew Brees would be dealing to Marques Colston, Brandin Cooks or an undrafted free agent. It didn’t matter for Brees, but at the end of the season, the Saints wouldn’t make it past the regular season.
Brees led the league in passing yards for three straight seasons between 2014 to 2016, and the Saints had a 7-9 record each year. Of these three seasons, Kenyon placed a spotlight on the 2016 year.
In that season, Brees passed for 5,208 yards. That was the third-most yards in league history at the time, and it still ranks sixth all time. It wasn’t just yards, either. The Saints scored the most points in the NFL. The only problem is they allowed the second-most. That’s not a recipe for success.
Great offense, bad defense. It’s the combination that inspired this list, and the reason Drew Brees’ 2016 finds itself among the group.
