On January 20, 2019, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome played host to its first NFC Championship game since 2009. The New Orleans Saints defended home turf against the #2 seed in the NFC, the Los Angeles Rams. An impressive back in forth game took a turn for the worse with 1:48 to go in the ball game. With the game tied at 20, the Saints drove the ball down to the Rams 13 yard line and faced a third and 10.
Drew Brees dropped back to pass and threw the ball up the right sideline for Tommy Lee Lewis. As the ball arrived towards Lewis, Rams safety Nickell Robey-Coleman hit Lewis, prohibiting a pass completion. The Saints fans and Head Coach Sean Payton looked around for a flag. There was no flag thrown on the play. What looked like an obvious pass interference call went un-called by the referees.
The Saints, instead of having first and goal, had to kick the go-ahead field goal with 1:41 to go. Rams quarterback Jared Goff took his team back down the field and kicker Greg Zuerlein converted a 48 yard field goal to send the game to overtime. The Saints got the ball first, but the Rams intercepted Brees to set up the game winning field goal for Zuerlein.
Five plays later, Zuerlein nailed a 57 yard field goal to send the Rams to the Super Bowl. The Saints physically has the victory snatched from their grasps. As we enter 2019, the Saints have one goal in mind. Get back to the NFC Championship, but this time, take the next step and play in Miami in Super Bowl 54.
As the Saints look to return to the NFC Championship game, their roster has familiar faces up and down the starting lineup. It all begins with Brees at quarterback. Fresh off surpassing Peyton Manning’s passing yardage record, Brees hopes to put together another MVP type season. Joining him on offense will be running back Alvin Kamara and leading receiver Michael Thomas.
Brees will also have Tre’Quan Smith, Keith Kirkwood, Ted Ginn Jr., and Taysom Hill to throw the ball to on the outside. Add in newly acquired Jared Cook and Latavius Murray and this offense figures to be one of the most explosive offenses in the league.
This Saints defense figures to be equally as good. In years past, the defense did not measure up to the offense. Led by Demario Davis, Cam Jordan, Eli Apple, and Marshon Lattimore the Saints defense hopes to help Brees and company out on offense. Look for this Saints defense to turn into an NFC offense’s worse nightmare.
The NFL is a week to week league. This means that the Saints schedule will not be easy. The Saints should be able to defeat Houston in week 1. After that, the Saints could very much be 1-2 after losses, on the road, to the Rams and Seahawks. The Saints could probably win their next three against Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Jacksonville.
Throw in a loss to the Bears in week 7 and then losses to Atlanta and Carolina. At the very least, that puts the Saints at 11-5. The NFC South usually gets two teams into the postseason. Depending on how the rest of the division shakes out, the Saints could be in the postseason as division champions. Regardless of how the season shakes out, I am confident in saying New Orleans will make the playoffs in 2019. History has shown that the Saints need to play at home to be successful.
If the Saints have home field advantage, they stand a good chance to play in Miami. Also, it’s not a coincidence that Miami is the same city in which Brees and Payton gave the city of New Orleans their first ever Super Bowl Championship. Look for the Who Dat nation to repeat what occurred just 10 short years ago.
