NFL analyst Jason McIntyre hosted “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” recently and shared his list of NFL teams organized by Super Bowl tiers. And he has the New Orleans Saints ranked inside the second-to-lowest tier, characterizing their title chances as needing a prayer to succeed. That’s going to be the case when you haven’t even made the playoffs three years in a row.
“Folks, the Saints are a team that irked me last season,” McIntyre said. “I was all in on them. Schedule, everything. I just looked at the offseason ranking for offensive lines, the Saints are 32nd, according to one report. 32nd. And we know Derek Carr stinks under pressure. Saints, they’re not gonna be good.”
He wasn’t the only one irked by Dennis Allen’s team. The Saints were massive underachievers in 2023, having been dealt one of the NFL’s easiest schedules and multiple games against teams starting backup quarterbacks, only to barely finish the season with a winning record at 9-8. Pete Carmichael’s offense was a disaster and Allen’s defense didn’t live up to its reputation
They can’t repeat that performance in 2024. Derek Carr must play at a higher level with Klint Kubiak calling plays, and the offensive line can’t be a weakness like it was last year. Allen’s defense needs to better hold up in run defense and more effectively get after the quarterback, having underwhelmed in both phases. The good news is the Saints have another favorable schedule, and Kubiak’s system should relieve some of the pressure on the offensive line (and Carr). But that’s all theory right now. We need to see it to believe it’s real.
