New Orleans Saints: Three positives to take from playoff loss

2. The New Orleans Saints were really banged up and will retain most of the roster

The New Orleans Saints had a headache of a season when it came to injuries. Let’s not forget that it was not that long ago when Brees went down in Week 2 and we were not talking about the Saints winning the Super Bowl and instead were talking about how the team could still sneak into the playoffs.

Brees’ injury was not the only injury. Alvin Kamara and Jared Cook both missed time this season and there were a myriad of players on the defensive side (as well as the offensive line) that missed time as well.

While the Saints have certainly been more banged up heading into games, they still were dealing with some significant injuries heading into this game. Sheldon Rankins and Marcus Davenport were missing on the defensive line and Eli Apple missed the game as well. Kiko Alonso got injured in the game.

This is a team that never seemed to get to full strength all season and never got that one game where it all clicked and everything worked. Granted, this is football and injuries absolutely happened, but no other team in the playoffs (aside from the Philadelphia Eagles) has had to deal with what the Saints have gone through.

The best part is that the team is retaining almost everyone next season. Teddy Bridgewater, A.J. Klein, Eli Apple, Vonn Bell and Andrus Peat are the five biggest free agents and the Saints will likely bring back at least two of them.

This is not the end of the road for the team. They have at least one more year together to get it done.