The last thing you'd expect a team like the New Orleans Saints would be doing at this point of the season is to drop points against a team that should be way below their caliber. However, that's exactly what happened, as the Atlanta Falcons manhandled them without even meaning to.
This loss removed any grand delusions that the Saints are destined to make the Super Bowl this year. The NFL is made up of the best football players on the planet, and not playing your best football on any given night will only give your opponents an opportunity to take advantage of your weaknesses.
There are plenty of things that the Saints can look to improve upon. If they manage to pull this off, they are on their way to becoming an unbeatable team that will be grasping the Vince Lombardi trophy at the end of Super Bowl LIV.
The first thing they have to definitely address is their offensive line. It's simply unacceptable for the O-Line to allow pass rushers to beat them and take Drew Brees down six times. The backbone of the passing game is a reliable offensive line, and it's simply unacceptable for the Saints to allow their quarterback to be hit time and time again by opposing defenders. We're sure that a lot of focus has been placed on the O-Line during practice to ensure that this doesn't happen again.
However, one positive Saints Nation can take from this performance is that Brees still has it. After missing significant time due to his thumb injury, you would be forgiven for thinking that the 40-year-old would be a step or two behind. However, he picked up from where Teddy Bridgewater left off and put on an incredible showing in the first two games he has played since coming back.
He has also been very careful with the football. Since the O-Line was a liability during the game, Brees showed incredible maturity and didn't rush his passes. If the offense wants to move the chains, the wideouts must be able to complete their routes and break away from their defenders. If they manage to do just that, there's no reason why Brees wouldn't be able to send them the football.
Finally, consistency is something that is needed within the Saints' organization. They cannot hope to improve on their impressive NFC Championship Game finish last season if they trip against a team like the Falcons.
Moreover, they have tough games to play the remainder of the season. They play the San Francisco 49ers in Week 14 and the Carolina Panthers will also be challenging opposition. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will give them an interesting game in Week 11.
Brees deserves a Super Bowl for the consistency and quality he's provided to the Big Easy over the years. If the Saints get their act together and start playing seriously, there will only be a few teams in the league who can stop them.
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