NFL "If The Season Ended Today..." - WEEK 7 Edition (1 Viewer)

Bill

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Well, if the definition of 'parity' is that you can have one less win than the #1 seeded team and yet be completely out of the playoff picture... then Welcome to the Season of Undeniable Parity! Yes, even at 4-2 we are on the outside looking in. All of the 5-win teams in the NFC are in, along with one obligatory 2-win team from the NFC East. While there is nothing we can do about that rule, there is something that we MUST do about our defense if we are to have a legitimate shot at getting to this year's postseason party. But frankly I don't see our defense being able to improve significantly enough to take any pressure off of our offense who now must find creative ways to outscore opponents as their receivers streak unmolested down the gridiron. Our offense just has to keep scoring at every opportunity.

Can we do this? Yes... but if the defense doesn't figure out a way to take control of some games and make our share of takeaways, it might be a long cold season of 'where do we go from here' for this franchise when we review the 2020 season after Week 17. Looking solely at our record one might assume that this is one of those 'sky is falling' kind of speeches. But records can be deceiving. We could just as easily be 2-4 right now save for a few miscues by our opponents. We were supposed to be better than this. And with this kind of parity in the NFC this season we won't stay in the race without showing that we can assert our will on our upcoming opponents. With two tough road games in Chicago & Tampa Bay, we will either be moving on up into the playoff list or moving out of contention for good if we can't find a way to come out on top in these two marquee matchups.

I'll be doing all that I personally can to ensure a Saints victory in the Windy City. I've already picked the Bears to win in PTS, and I'm sure I can find something else to do on Sunday to avoid watching the live game broadcast as required for the ultimate game-winning insurance. But the rest is up to our players & coaches. And specifically our defensive backfield. If they continue to allow uncontested passes to be completed the rest of the way, there's nothing that any of us can do to 'wish' us into the playoffs. It's time to show who we really are as a team. Hopefully we are a much better team than what we've shown so far.
If there are any lucky shirts or socks out there... wear 'em if you got 'em! Our postseason dream depends on it! :shocked:

__________________________________________________________________________________________
Keep in mind that in this new system, only the #1 seed in each conference gets a Bye.
The first playoff week plays out this way: #2 hosts #7; #3 hosts #6; #4 hosts #5.
Each successive week the lowest seed travels to the highest seed just as before.

***WEEK 7 - NFC Playoff Standings***
#1 Bye - Green Bay Packers
#2- Seattle Seahawks
#3- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
#4- Philadelphia Eagles
#5- Chicago Bears
#6- Arizona Cardinals
#7- Los Angeles Rams

***WEEK 7 - AFC Playoff Standings***
#1 Bye - Pittsburgh Steelers
#2- Kansas City Chiefs
#3- Tennessee Titans
#4- Buffalo Bills
#5- Baltimore Ravens
#6- Cleveland Browns
#7- Indianapolis Colts
 
Bears game obviously is a big one for both teams this week.

If we can beat the Bears and 49ers, that would put our chances of making the playoffs substantially higher.

The West is gonna beat up on each other, which helps.

The Bucs rematch probably decides the division.
 
I would bet that the #1 seeds both get to the Super Bowl, it's that big of a deal to be the only ones with the week off.
 
I’m just enjoying Saints football and grateful to have it this year. Not too long ago, I was very doubtful that there would even be a season.
Anyway, I can’t control anything the Saints do so I just hope they continue to win and improve weekly, and see how it all shakes out.
 
For the record, the only reason Tampa is currently ahead in the NFCS is they've played one more game than the Saints.
Very true. But the Bucs are definitely playing as a more complete team than we are at present.
We must start playing better (and likely need to beat them in two weeks) to consider ourselves to be a true contender this year.
We can't hang our hats on that Week 1 matchup much longer.
 
Very true. But the Bucs are definitely playing as a more complete team than we are at present.
We must start playing better (and likely need to beat them in two weeks) to consider ourselves to be a true contender this year.
We can't hang our hats on that Week 1 matchup much longer.

One thing to factor in is the re-emergence of the Saints vaunted Defensive Line. Jordan and Rankins are looking healthier every game, and Davenport has been a freak. T-Rex has been playing well all season, Onyemata, Tuttle, Brown, and Roach have also been contributors, but having the "big three" of Jordan, Rankins, and Davenport returning to form has been a shot of adrenaline for the defense. The defensive line can be directly credited with securing the win against the Panthers and taking 21 points off the scoreboard for the Chargers where hits on Herbert caused three incompletions at wide receivers who were somehow ten yards open behind the defense.

I know it is praying for a lot, but if Davenport remains healthy and Rankins and Jordan are back in full form by seasons end... the Saints wont need a good secondary to win a Super Bowl.
 
One thing to factor in is the re-emergence of the Saints vaunted Defensive Line. Jordan and Rankins are looking healthier every game, and Davenport has been a freak. T-Rex has been playing well all season, Onyemata, Tuttle, Brown, and Roach have also been contributors, but having the "big three" of Jordan, Rankins, and Davenport returning to form has been a shot of adrenaline for the defense. The defensive line can be directly credited with securing the win against the Panthers and taking 21 points off the scoreboard for the Chargers where hits on Herbert caused three incompletions at wide receivers who were somehow ten yards open behind the defense.

I know it is praying for a lot, but if Davenport remains healthy and Rankins and Jordan are back in full form by seasons end... the Saints wont need a good secondary to win a Super Bowl.
This is key. The defensive backs can do their job much better when a QB is being harassed with regularity.
Hopefully we will see some continued improvement in the amount of pressure we can create.
 
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Positive note, it’s nice not having New England in the playoff picture
Frankly, I knew when they picked up Newton that they were toast.
That was a bigger blunder by Belichick than bagging Brown. :freak7:
 
Bears will be a close lower scoring game because of their O and D. Saints MUST win this one. I have no confidence at all that Saints D will stop either TB or SF (Shanahan misdirection playcalling) but Drew will have to play extraordinary to out score those teams.
 
One thing to factor in is the re-emergence of the Saints vaunted Defensive Line. Jordan and Rankins are looking healthier every game, and Davenport has been a freak. T-Rex has been playing well all season, Onyemata, Tuttle, Brown, and Roach have also been contributors, but having the "big three" of Jordan, Rankins, and Davenport returning to form has been a shot of adrenaline for the defense. The defensive line can be directly credited with securing the win against the Panthers and taking 21 points off the scoreboard for the Chargers where hits on Herbert caused three incompletions at wide receivers who were somehow ten yards open behind the defense.

I know it is praying for a lot, but if Davenport remains healthy and Rankins and Jordan are back in full form by seasons end... the Saints wont need a good secondary to win a Super Bowl.
I am not so sure our D-line is playing that great right now. It is always mentioned that we haven't given up a 100 yard rusher in a while, but that is because teams can do whatever they want with the pass. Our front 4 must get more pressure on the QB on a regular basis if we are going to have a chance to stop Bucs/Niners, etc.
 

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