The Saints trotted out the NFL’s worst defense last year and the offense just couldn’t keep up. The flop cost coordinator Rob Ryan his job. And no team allowed more points than the Saints, though it made for some exciting games. Perhaps that's why they used three of their first four picks in the draft on that side of the ball.
For as bad as the Saints looked at times last year, they did go 7-9. Of course they were 4-8 before the schedule got friendly down the stretch. If they can avoid some of the horrible losses that they suffered at home last year, they could push for a .500 record.
New Orleans Saints Regular Season Win Total Odds at BookMaker.eu
Saints Over 7 Wins +100
Saints Under 7 Wins -120
The Saints held on to coach Sean Peyton when there was talk of him leaving after last season. And they still have Drew Brees, who once again had a fantastic year and doesn’t appear to be slowing down at age 37. It doesn’t matter if Brees’ targets change, his floor seems to be 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns, and that’s conservative.
Don’t doubt the Saints’ offense because of those two, when you have a coach-quarterback combo that good, you have a path to being competitive. And the Saints will have to produce to make up for the defensive struggles.
What worries us about the Saints is there defense. They’ve been absolutely horrible on that side of the football and finished last in yards per pass allowed and last in yards per run allowed. Think about that for a moment. The combination of those two stats means the Saints did absolutely nothing defensively. That’s why Ryan was relieved of his defensive coordinator gig during the season.
2016 New Orleans Saints Schedule
Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders +2
Week 2: at New York Giants -4.5
Week 3: vs. Atlanta Falcons +1.5
Week 4: at San Diego Chargers -3
Week 5: BYE
Week 6: vs. Carolina Panthers -4.5
Week 7: at Kansas City Chiefs -8
Week 8: vs. Seattle Seahawks -5
Week 9: at San Francisco 49ers PK
Week 10: vs. Denver Broncos -1
Week 11: at Carolina Panthers -10
Week 12: vs. Los Angeles Rams +1.5
Week 13: vs. Detroit Lions +2
Week 14: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers -3
Week 15: at Arizona Cardinals -9
Week 16: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers +2.5
Week 17: at Atlanta Falcons
Based on the 2015 records, the Saints will play a considerably tougher schedule in 2016. They get the West divisions from each conference and those eight teams combined to win 69 games a season ago. Four of the teams – two from each division – secured double-digit win totals. Those two divisions replace the NFC East and AFC South, whose combined win total was 51.
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Peyton is one of the most innovative offensive coaches in the NFL and consistently puts out top units. Too bad he’s not as bright working with defensive players. That job is now in the hands of former Raiders head coach Dennis Allen, who took over when Ryan was handed his walking papers last season.
It’s hard to take the Saints seriously because of their defensive shortcomings. How can a team go from what it was in 2015 to respectable in 2016? Perhaps if Allen does an incredible job coaching and top draft pick Sheldon Rankins is the defensive rookie of the year. But for now there appear to be too many flaws.
The Saints allowed a 116.2 passer rating last season, which is the highest allowed in NFL history. Putting that in perspective, the best career rating in league history is 104.1. Every quarterback suddenly turned into the most efficient quarterback of all-time – and by a wide margin – once he took the field against New Orleans’ defense.
New Orleans ranked second in the league in total offense last season, but played catch-up too often. Some improvement on defense is necessary, and almost a sure thing considering what happened in 2015. But will it be enough to get the Saints to .500?
NFL Odds: New Orleans Saints Under 7 Wins
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