How many games do you think the New Orleans Saints have won since Drew Brees retired after the 2020 season? It’s been three years, and the Saints have been at home for 25 contests during that span. The Caesars Superdome was once a fearsome venue for visiting teams, and the Saints still have a reputation as a squad that benefits from the Who Dat Nation’s raucous homefield advantage.
But check the numbers and you’ll see that narrative doesn’t hold much water. The Saints have gone 12-13 at home from 2021 to 2023, winning just a dozen games since Brees hunt up his cleats. That’s a winning percentage of .480 — which ranks 23rd among the NFL’s 32 teams, including the playoffs.
The Saints actually have a better record away from home. When playing outside New Orleans, they’re 13-13 over the last three years. A .500 win percentage may not be impressive in itself, but that ties them for ninth-best along with four other teams. Of the 13 teams who are .500 or better on the road in this span, only the Saints and Indianapolis Colts have failed to make the playoffs at least once.
So we know the Saints can compete away from the Caesars Superdome. Why can’t they win games in front of their own home crowd? Maybe it’s the quality of competition or just bad luck. We could be making too much out of it. After all, their record at home (12-13) isn’t much different from their road record (13-13). They’re a near-.500 team at any venue. But that’s the problem. Most teams play worse on the road than at home; the Saints are one of just six teams with a higher win percentage away from home. They’re fighting hard away from the Superdome, but not winning the games they should be when at home.
That must change in 2024. If they’re going to end this playoffs drought, the Saints need to stack up wins at the Superdome over weaker teams like the Denver Broncos, Washington Commanders, and Las Vegas Raiders as well as their division rivals. They can’t afford to trip up and take an embarrassing loss (like happened last year when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers walked away with a win after a 26-9 blowout). This year, the Saints will play nine home games in New Orleans for the first time since the regular season expanded to 17 games. Stepping up in big moments at home while remaining competitive on the road is their path to a successful 2024 campaign.
