Saints Shouldn’t Take Colts Recent Struggles Too Lightly

The New Orleans Saints’ matchup against the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday afternoon is ripe for the picking so to speak, for a team that is looking to right their season after starting out with a paltry 2-4 record and last place standing in the NFC South.

It’s also ripe for things to go, well, rotten and put the Black and Gold into a 2-5 tailspin that would likely sink their season.

The Saints are still riding high off their quality win of a previously undefeated Atlanta Falcons team as they begin final preparations for the journey to Indy but hopefully they won’t be sitting to high in the saddle.

Even defensive end Cameron Jordan recently said that while he’s proud of the team win hopefully everyone, including the younger players, can stay grounded enough to realize that more work is still ahead of them.

Oct 15, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) is tackled by New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) during the second quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

And while I mentioned the Falcons win was a quality one, even some of the national media are still skeptical about the 5-1 team the Saints seemed so dominant against.

Looking back, the Falcons got to their 5 wins by defeating teams that have seen struggles like the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Houston Texans, and Washington Redskins.

All besides the drubbing that they gave the Texans, it took some last minute miracles where they squeezed out a win on the rest.

Even the win against the Dallas Cowboys was much like with the Saints where they faced a team that featured Brandon Weeden under center and no Dez Bryant at receiver.

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The Saints hopefully have followed the 24 hour rule when it came to Thursday night’s win because the Colts have likely done the same with their recent loss to the New England Patriots.

Of course the game wasn’t out of reach for Indianapolis losing by only a touchdown but the game seemed more skewed due to the infamous fourth down play that even the most novice of football watchers could see it was doomed to fail before it began.

The Colts though still managed to match the Patriots pretty much score for score barring the third quarter where New England held Indy out of the endzone and field goal range.

Oct 18, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) throws a pass against the New England Patriots in the first half during the NFL game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck still managed to throw for 312 yards and three touchdowns and running back Frank Gore had a team high 93 rushing yards.

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Unfortunately, the Saints have been allowing 138.2 rushing yards a game and surrendered 271.5 yards through the air; so even Luck with his shoulder issues could have a field day.

Catching those passes will be the four horseman combination of T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, Andre Johnson, and rookie speedster Phillip Dorsett, who have combined for 1,125 yards receiving and eight touchdowns.

We also know the panache the Saints have shown for letting tight ends have a career day and Coby Fleener could provide some trouble, although to date the former second round pick has only managed 19 receptions for 168 yards and one touchdown.

But all that aside, the thing that makes the Colts the most dangerous for the Saints is that they are in the same predicament as far as their season goes.

Oct 18, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett (15) calls out a play in the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. The Houston Texans won 31-20. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

While the they sit atop a weak AFC South division at 3-3, the Houston Texans are at 2-4 and could gain some ground on the Colts further down the stretch, so losing two in a row really isn’t an option that Indianapolis would be comfortable with.

In fact if the Colts were to lose to the Saints, their next two opponents are a road game against an unbeaten, dominant Carolina Panthers team and then a home game against the Denver Broncos whose defense is shredding opposing offenses like a buzzsaw, and oh yeah —  there’s that Peyton Manning guy, too.

Dropping a game to New Orleans and potential losses the following weeks could have the Colts sitting possibly at 3-6 and in danger of ending their stretch of being in the playoffs since 2012 as well as having a fourth consecutive season with at least an 11-5 record.

So while the Saints are also desperate for another win to propel the team, they shouldn’t take the recent struggles of the Colts too lightly as they enter Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday….

Next: Reasons Why the Saints Will Beat The Colts -- And No, We're NOT Kidding