Saints’ dominance of NFC South may lead to a new-look division in 2020
The NFC South is on the verge of being blown up in the offseason and the New Orleans Saints are lighting the match.
In fact, the NFC South with the Black and Gold as the lead dog is beginning to resemble the AFC East where the dynastic New England Patriots have ruled with an iron fist for more than a decade.
The Saints (9-2) crept within sniffing distance of their third consecutive division championship Sunday with a serendipitous 34-31 victory over the resilient Carolina Panthers (5-6) at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Wil Lutz’ 33-yard field goal sealed the deal as time expired, increasing the Saints’ divisional lead to four games over the Panthers with five to play and setting the stage for a Thanksgiving night rematch against the Atlanta Falcons (3-8) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (NBC, 7:20 p.m.).
As Who Dat Nation gathers around their Thanksgiving tables they should give special thanks for the errant right foot of Joey Slye, the Panthers’ kicker who missed two extra points and a gimme 28-yard field goal attempt that would have snapped a 31-31 tie with 1:56 remaining.
All wide right, each proving to be damaging for a prohibitive road underdog trying to rally from a 14-point deficit in the first half and a 13-point deficit in the second half.
Yes, the Saints coulda, woulda and probably shoulda lost to Carolina but they survived and remain firmly in the chase for NFC homefield advantage with the San Francisco 49ers (10-1), who destroyed the Green Bay Packers (8-3), 37-8.
Yes, the Saints’ defense surprisingly struggled to contain second-year quarterback Kyle Allen, who equaled Drew Brees’ three touchdown passes without an interception.
And yes, their last-second win comes on the heels of a disturbing upset loss at home to Atlanta in Week 10, 26-9.
That said, it is becoming abundantly clear New Orleans has widened the player/coaching gap inside the NFC South, and the football operations in Atlanta, Carolina and Tampa Bay are playing from behind the chains in catch-up mode.
All three aforementioned organizations appear to be going down the wrong path. None is operating at the same model of consistency as the Saints’ organization under GM Mickey Loomis, Coach Sean Payton and their football operations.
That is why I say the NFC South is beginning to mirror the AFC East where the Patriots are poised to win their 11th consecutive division title under coach/dictator Bill Belichick.
In Atlanta and Carolina, I suspect head coaches Dan Quinn and Ron Rivera are dead men walking.
After posting back-to-back gritty road wins against New Orleans and Carolina, the Falcons resorted to their old ways at home Sunday by losing to the Buccaneers (4-7), 35-22. Owner Arthur Blank may be forced to dismiss Quinn at season’s end, just three years after he guided the Falcons to Super Bowl LI where they lost to New England 34-28 in overtime after inexplicably blowing a 28-3 lead.
In Carolina, Rivera appears to be on thin ice with new owner David Tepper, who bought the team for $2.275 billion in July 2018. Short of a football miracle, Rivera likely will miss the playoffs for a second straight season and third time in four years.
Rivera has failed to post consecutive winning seasons since becoming coach in 2011, nor been able to duplicate the 2015 campaign when league-MVP quarterback Cam Newton took the Panthers to Super Bowl 50 where they lost to Denver, 24-10.
Additionally, Newton is the object of trade speculation and his future in Carolina might be tied to Rivera.
In Tampa Bay, first-year coach Bruce Arians and GM Jason Licht must decide after the season whether quarterback Jameis Winston should remain the face of the franchise and deserves to be paid upwards of $30 million per season. Winston, the No. 1 overall pick in 2015, turns 26 on Jan. 6. He’s in the final year of his rookie contract.
Meanwhile, the Saints march on, making a mockery of the NFC South for a second consecutive year.
