Saints Season Hinges On A Victory Over the Redskins

On the latest episode of the Big Easy Blitz Radio Show co-hosted by Big Easy Believer Editor and Columnist Barry Hirstius, he said something that resonated with possibly a good chunk of fans for the New Orleans Saints.

What he said was that there used to be so much joy after a Saints victory, that it made going back to work on a Monday a bit more tolerable — as well as dealing with the rest of the days of the week that followed after it.

But as Barry so simply put it, he just doesn’t get too excited or ‘fired up’ over a Saints victory like he used to, and after thinking about it; you’d tend to agree with him.

Now it’s really more about having a sigh of relief; followed by an exasperated: “Whew, they pulled that one out”, even after wins that normally wouldn’t have been more than a cakewalk for the team that was considered a championship contender for several seasons.

Nov 8, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) reacts after an incomplete pass during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots won 27-10. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

At 4-5 on the season, the Saints remaining season hinges on the upcoming matchup against the Washington Redskins on Sunday that wouldn’t surprise anyone if it turned into a nail-biter although Washington isn’t exactly an offense or defensive stalwart by any means.

While the Saints are reportedly still in the scrum for a playoff spot, the old cliche of “one game at a time” needs to be heavily on the minds of players and fans alike.

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A loss to the Redskins would put New Orleans at 4-6 — and even deeper into a hole that there is no coming back from after the bye week.

The whispers of hope would tell you that even with that loss, there’s the possibility the team could “make a run” and go 10-6 to capture a postseason nod.

But let’s be honest: with the way the Saints have been playing, do you honestly the think the team is capable of going on a run for the rest of the season?

No, the time for that was over when they allowed a team ranked at the bottom offensively to rack up 34 points on them this past Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Nov 8, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) celebrates with teammates after throwing a game winning touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during overtime of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Titans defeated the Saints 34-28 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

I’ll say this about the 2o15 Saints that I did about the 2014 squad — which is this team is not built right now to overcome obstacles that playoff teams can and win.

Now that can be seen as being negative or giving up hope but it’s time for everyone including the players to be honest with themselves; and that it’s extremely likely we’ll be rooting for another team when the playoffs start, and begin to salivate over which draft picks we want.

I never thought I’d be saying that this Redskins game is crucial to the Saints season, but it is when you look at it — especially from the standpoint of their division.

The invincible Carolina Panthers are headed to the postseason for certain while the alleged woeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers merely trail the Saints by one game.

Nov 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Justin Hardy (16) is stopped short of the goal line against San Francisco 49ers strong safety Jimmie Ward (25) and inside linebacker Michael Wilhoite (57) during the fourth quarter at Levi

One possible bright spot is that Atlanta Falcons are at 6-3 and appear to be slipping a bit; with a bit of a grueling schedule ahead of them including four NFC South games all in the span of one month, with two of those against the Panthers coming up in two more weeks.

What will be the ultimate outcome of a season that was supposed to be “easy” the rest of the way for a Saints that NEVER does anything the “easy” way?

Well, honestly anything is possible with this team, good or bad — but it will start with trying to gain some momentum going into their bye week with a victory in Washington tomorrow afternoon……..