When last season began, many people predicted the New Orleans Saints to win the NFC South, but they fell short, finishing 9-8 and losing the tiebreaker for first place to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
As a result, rumours circulated that head coach Dennis Allen would be dismissed if the Saints failed to make the NFL playoffs.
However, he remains in command on the sideline, and safety Tyrann Mathieu appears to have his back, as he commended his coach’s defensive game planning ability, according to Robert Griffin III.
Mathieu had four interceptions, one pick-six, and nine passes defended in 2023, his second season with New Orleans.
The three-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro First-club selection helped his club finish ninth in points allowed, but only 13th in total yards allowed.
The Saints made a splash this offseason by signing defensive end Chase Young, the former No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft.
Young got 7.5 sacks and 15 quarterback hits last season, and while he has been somewhat disappointing, he has always been regarded as having star potential.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72932867/1817246604.0.jpg)
The rest of the NFC South remains relatively weak — the Buccaneers made no significant offseason additions, and while the Atlanta Falcons now have quarterback Kirk Cousins, he is coming off a ruptured Achilles — so the door may still be open for the Saints to fight for first place again.
To do so, they will need to dig in deeper defensively than they did last year.
Leave a Reply