By: Jake Rajala

The New Orleans Saints, also known as the Taysom Hill show, flashed an impressive, yet somewhat uncharacteristic victory against the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 39-32. The contest certainly required each faithful fan base to wear oxygen masks.

After starting 1-3, the highly motivated Dennis Allen ignited his team to pull out with a win today. The Saints sit at 2-3, which is second in the NFC South (behind the 3-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as they pulled out with a victory today against their archnemesis, the Atlanta Falcons). With that said, an intriguing, joyful, and realistic question surrounds Who Dat Nation right now: can the Saints still make the playoffs?

I am not a clairvoyant, but I actually foresee the 2-3 Saints punching a ticket to the playoffs this season. It should be noted that the Saints have leaned on an injured Jameis Winston and an absent Michael Thomas over the prior two weeks. They will gladly welcome back their QB1 and Michael Thomas — who was on fire in Week 1 with two touchdown grabs. If it’s clear that Winston isn’t in-synch, taking too many unnecessary sacks, or missing wide-open targets on first and second down, they can rely on their above-average backup in the Red Rifle to manage his potent weapons.

Most importantly, the rookie WR Chris Olave is improving his craft each week and it’s clear that he is on track to win OROY. He did suffer a concussion against the Seahawks, but he should be available in 1-2 weeks. The former Ohio State WR has a touchdown catch in each of his past two match-ups.

Taysom Hill ousted four total touchdowns today and it’s clear that he’s benefiting from improved blocking from Cesar Ruiz, Andrus Peat, and Erik McCoy (who inked an extension this summer). Hill’s improved performance from the QB spot should help Winston make a smoother transition moving forward.

The Saints pass rush has started to crank up over the past two games, as well. Cameron Jordan (of course) has knocked out two sacks over the past two match-ups.

On the horizon, the Saints have a favorable schedule in my humble opinion. They clash with the 2-2 Cincinnati Bengals, (projected Bengals win), 2-3 Arizona Cardinals (projected Saints win), the 1-3 Las Vegas Raiders (projected Saints win), Baltimore Ravens (projected Ravens win), the Pittsburgh Steelers (projected Saints win), the Los Angeles Rams (projected Saints win/upset), the San Francisco 49ers (projected Saints win), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (projected Saints win), the 2-3 Atlanta Falcons (projected Saints win) the Cleveland Browns (projected Browns win), the Philadelphia Eagles (projected Eagles win), and the Carolina Panthers (projected Saints win).

I believe that the Saints can oust 10 wins this season and ultimately be one of the NFC wildcard teams in the end. They have a somewhat brutal slate of games against AFC North & NFC West squads moving forward. Nonetheless, the Saints will certainly improve their continuity with their loaded roster, win a few more shoot-out contests, and undoubtedly not be swept by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers.

The post Can the Saints still make the playoffs? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The New Orleans Saints barely escaped the 2021 season that could resemble the pit from the Dark Knight Rises with eight wins last season. I really expect the loaded Saints team with a healthy Jameis Winston to have at least a winning record next season. Contrary to Adam Rank projecting the Saints to sweep the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and still having a mere eight wins, I believe the Winston-led team that may be a 2022 bandwagon team to significantly have more success than a season ago. With that said, I’m going to project the Saints record and untwine the exact number of wins (that should be higher than 8) next season.

Week 1: at Falcons

I believe the Saints team famous for starting 0-1 actually gets the victory against Marcus Mariota (or Desmond Riddler). The Falcons will have a hard time defending the Saints explosive WR unit in my mind. I believe the Saints win 35-17.

Week 2: vs the Buccaneers

I honestly expect the Saints to not be favored in this match-up. Nonetheless, I believe the Saints match up incredibly well and they also have a healthy Winston (who was MIA in their second match-up last season). The Saints will win 28-17 in my opinion.

Week 3: at the Panthers

Let’s be honest – the Saints (and a healthy coaching staff) will win their third straight game against a divisional opponent. I do expect CMAC to really be efficient and help the Panthers TOP – as I also expect the Panthers scrappy, young pass defense to give Winston some issues. I still forsee the Saints winning 24-21.

Week 4: vs the Vikings

I hate to say it, but I believe the Saints lose their first game against the Stefon Diggs-less Vikings. Danielle Hunter should be a monster against Trevor Penning, while I sadly believe Justin Jefferson will make his magic happen. This game should be a shoot-out, but I believe the Vikings win 38-35.

Week 5: vs Seahawks

The Saints will bounce back against Seattle and blow the doors off Pete Carroll’s team in a massive 42-7 victory.

Week 6: vs the Bengals

I actually like the Saints ability to beat the Bengals pass protection without blitzing. I also believe the Saints will be able to attack the Eli Apple-featured Bengals pass defense fairly well. The Saints will win 35-21 in a potential “upset” match-up.

Week 7: at the Cardinals

The Saints should be able to beat the Cardinals team that wasn’t as sexy in the back-end of last season. I believe the Saints will match up well against the Cardinals pass defense, while it may be difficult for Kyler Murray to keep pace with Winston. The Saints will win 28-17.

Week 8: vs the Raiders

The Saints game against the Raiders should very exciting – as both teams are darkhorse Super Bowl contenders in their conference. I honestly believe the Saints are more well-rounded than the Raiders (who have a mediocre secondary) and the Saints will have a big statement win in this match-up by a score of 28-21.

Week 9: vs the Ravens

The Saints may struggle against Lamar Jackson, as the Saints have really had a tough time beating Jalen Hurts. I expect the Saints to lose 28-21 in this match-up.

Week 10: at the Steelers

The Steelers have a hulk in T.J. Watt, but their LB group isn’t exactly sexy. I expect Alvin Kamara to have an impressive game, while the Saints pass rush tees off on Trubisky/Pickett. The Saints win a 21-14 gutsy match-up.

Week 11: vs the Rams

It may seem easy to peg the Saints as a loser against the reigning Super Bowl champions. Yet, I actually believe the Saints will score a lot of points in the dome and Cameron Jordan will show out against the Andrew Whitworth-less OL. After the Rams struggle to run the football, I don’t believe the Matthew Stafford-Cooper Kupp connection (assuming Lattimore can handle Allen Robinson) will drop 30+ points against the Saints at this point in the same. I believe the Saints will win 35-21.

Week 12: at the 49ers

The Saints should be able to handle their business against a young Trey Lance, despite the 49ers playing at home. The Saints will win 24-14 in this Bosa-Jordon blood-bath.

Week 13: at the Buccaneers

It feels iffy to state that the Saints will continue to be hell-bent on beating Brady, but I still expect the Saints defense to keep a chip on their shoulder and Winston to have a nice chance to exploit the Bucs defense. The Saints will win 24-17 in a game that should witness TB12 play with his head on fire.

Week 15: vs the Falcons

The Saints will have another NFC South victory against a rebuilding Falcons team at the dome. The Saints will win 35-14.

Week 16: at the Browns

The Saints will lose this match-up in my opinion. This will be a high-scoring game, but I expect the Browns pass rush to be more potent than the Saints pass rush. The Saints will lose 21-31 in this late-season show-down.

Week 17: at the Eagles

The Saints are the Bucs kryptonite in a way that the Eagles are the Saints Achilles heel. I expect the Saints to lose 28-14 against Hurts and an impressive Eagles front seven.

Week 18: vs the Panthers

The Saints can’t afford to lose this game and they will absolutely have another excellent outcome against a Panthers team that could cut ties with Matt Rhule. The Saints will win 35-14.

Final record: 13-4

The post Projecting the New Orleans Saints record in 2022 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

The New Orleans Saints selected Payton Turner with the 28th overall pick in the 2021 draft. Most of Who Dat Nation found this pick to be puzzling, as they were rumored to be seeking a starting cornerback opposite Marshon Lattimore. I don’t find this pick surprising, nor do I believe it’s concerning. 

The Saints came into the offseason with an attitude of maintaining a championship-level roster. They may have lost a few players in free agency, but they opted to heavily invest in the QB position after Brees retired while retaining a prime player in the secondary (Marcus Williams) — despite being dead last in the NFL in cap space. Headed into the draft, the Saints were rumored to be looking for a trade-up in the draft, despite holding the 28th pick. The Saints opted to select a highly talented edge player that they could “move around/play with” with vs reaching for a CB/WR. I believe that Turner was the right choice for the Saints and he will prove to be a long-lasting pass rusher for the Saints franchise. 

Here are the main reasons why the Saints struck gold with Turner:

The Saints bread and butter was a 3-headed monster from the DE position

The Saints had arguably the best trio of defensive ends in the NFL last season: Cam Jordan, Marcus Davenport, and Trey Hendrickson. In particular, Hendrickson was the ignition to the machine – leading the team in sacks (12.5). Not only was Hendrickson dominant, but he allowed Jordan and Davenport to get rest — this ultimately helped the pass rush as a unit. 

Now that the production of Hendrickson is gone, which was A LOT, they need to TRY and replace some of it. The Saints can’t rely on Davenport to be healthy, let alone take a massive step in production. So, they need another quality face in the QB chasing unit. Insert Payton Turner.

One of the things that’s fantastic about Turner is his versatility. The 6’6 260 DE has experience playing defensive tackle and that will allow Dennis Allen to get creative with Turner inside, while Davenport and Jordan are attacking off the edges. 

Cameron Jordan is 31 and Marcus Davenport has underperformed: Long term DEs? 

As stated above, the Saints boasted three prolific pass rushers in 2020. The alpha isn’t in a Saints uniform, but the other two remain on the roster. There are long term question marks with the talented starting DEs on the roster. Starting with Jordan, the former All-Pro posted his lowest sack total in 2020 (7.5) since 2016. His TFL count (11) was also his lowest tally since 2014. Jordan is a relentless player, but cracks are showing as father time catches up. 

Marcus Davenport holds the biggest question mark at the DE position and the team. The 6’6 270 edge player that clocks a 4.5 40 time hasn’t lived up to his draft stature, to say the least. Davenport has clocked 12 sacks in three seasons to show for his name. He’s also had trouble staying on the field — Davenport has missed a whopping 11 games in three seasons for the Saints. 

Turner provides lots of long-term potential to this unit that could easily be missing two more big-name DEs in the next two-three seasons.  If Davenport does show his talent on a consistent basis and Turner unveils to be a great asset, then the Saints found themselves a monster pass-rushing duo for many years to come.

The post Explaining why Payton Turner was the right pick appeared first on Pro Football Mania.