NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints are tied for first in the NFC South. The NFC South continuing to be terrible gives me so much joy. Three 6-7 teams, all hugely flawed, hated by a portion of their teams' fans, and yet someone has to win this division.
I want my NFC South Champion t-shirt and hat Dennis Allen. No excuses. The fact that the 2023 Saints feel so much worse than when the season started is of no concern to me.
People ask me the following questions….
“Ralph, why do you want the Saints to go to the playoffs and probably get destroyed?”
“If the Saints win the NFC South, are you worried they won’t make changes they need to do to get out of mediocrity?”
Fair and reasonable questions.
My retort is simple, “ I can’t stomach watching Tampa Bay or Atlanta win this division.”
Plus, if Atlanta wins the NFC South it will involve them winning against the Saints during Week 18 in the Caesars Superdome.
I cannot abide watching the Falcons celebrate a division title in the Dome. For who? For what? The Saints' future is uncertain no matter what happens. I’m 100% certain watching the Falcons celebrate will be misery.
So which of these three sad teams is best positioned to win the division?
The Saints have a slight edge in schedule.
The Saints' final four games are the Giants, Rams, Buccaneers, and Falcons.
The Buccaneers face the Packers, Jaguars, Saints, and Panthers.
The Falcons play the Panthers, Colts, Bears, and Saints with 3 of the 4 on the road.
Neither the Bucs nor the Saints can run the football. The Saints average 104 yards rushing, which is incredible compared to the 90 yards Tampa averages.
Atlanta can run the ball well but has allowed the 9th most sacks and Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder has 9 interceptions and 10 fumbles. He’s like Derek Carr but cheaper and with less ability to hold onto the ball.
Tampa has won its last two games. They still can get pressure with their defensive line (38 sacks) but their secondary is 30th in yards allowed passing (264 yards per game). The Bucs entire offensive plan is to get the ball to Mike Evans or die trying.
We know the Saints' issues. They can’t run the ball, can’t pressure opposing quarterbacks, and can’t stop the run. It’s all bad. The two things the Saints have done well are create the 5th most turnovers on defense and they are 5-0 against teams currently drafting in the top 10 of next year’s draft.
My favorite weird and hilarious stat about the 2023 Saints; they have a better point differential than the 10-3 Philadelphia Eagles. It’s true!
The Saints have scored 24 more points than they’ve allowed, while the Eagles have scored 21 more points than they’ve allowed.
It probably says more about the Eagles being not so great, because we know the Saints ain’t good.
I have no idea who will win the South. I can’t favor the Saints because their complete inability to stop opponents from running the ball the last month usually spells doom.
I don’t know who is going to win the NFC South and neither do you. I know I want the Saints to win it so I can laugh at Falcons fans for losing a division title to this unextraordinary Saints team.
It’d be great late Christmas gift Santa.
Saints Fan Mood and Meditation Music: Rags To Riches – Tony Bennett
I’ve been incredibly annoyed this week with Saints fans fearing Giants quarterback Tommy Devito. The guy is from New Jersey, is named after Joe Pesci’s character in Goodfellas, and lives at home with his mom and dad. He is a living, breathing trope.
I’m not going to fear or respect Shine Box QB. Dennis Allen better make sure Tommy Devito gets made just like he did in Goodfellas.
The Games
Last Week: 3-2
Season: 32-28
New Orleans Saints (-6) vs New York Giants: For Dennis Allen to have a legit shot to remain Saints coach, he has to win Sunday. Being 7-7 is necessary but not sufficient for the 2023 Saints to have any hope of winning the division.
The Giants have allowed 69 sacks, while the Saints have only sacked quarterbacks 23 times. Tommy Devito has been sacked 15 times during the Giants' 3-game winning streak and that includes no sacks allowed Monday vs the Packers.
I know the Saints aren’t good and optimism is unwarranted, but optimism is more fun. I choose fun. Panicking over the thought of Tommy ‘Shinebox’ Devito is something I have too much self-respect to do.
Saints 27-13
Atlanta (-3) at Carolina: The Falcons defensive line is injured and their defense is fading. Won’t matter but it’ll be a struggle for 3 quarters.
Falcons 24-13
Green Bay (-3.5) vs Tampa Bay: Jordan Love went back to being terrible, hopefully, it was a one-week thing.
Packers 23-17
Denver (+4) at Detroit: Is Sean Payton going to win the AFC West?
Broncos 31-23
Chicago (+3) at Cleveland: The Bears have quietly gotten good. If not for 5 turnovers vs the Saints and late collapse in Detroit, they’d be in the playoff race.
Bears 24-20
Ralph Malbrough is a contributing writer and Saints fan living in Houston. Email him at saintshappyhour@gmail.com, find him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter at @SaintsForecast or download the Saints Happy Hour Podcast.