Baltimore Ravens: Saints are Toughest Opponent Remaining
The New Orleans Saints have been one of the premier teams in the NFL for about eight years now. Ever since they acquired Drew Brees in 2006 free agency, they have been contenders year in and year out.
This year however, they currently hold a record of 4-6; and although they are still tied for the division lead in the NFC South, that is not a record to be proud of.
A big factor into their down year has been the play on the defensive side of the ball. They are currently ranked 19th in total defense, giving up 3,699 yards as a unit. The defense has performed equally poor in both the rushing game and the passing game. It has been a below-average performance for that group.
The offense, however, has kept the Saints alive throughout this season. Drew Brees and the Saints passing game ranks fourth in the league, as Brees is one of only four quarterbacks to throw for over 3,000 yards this season.
They also rank top ten in rushing, accumulating 1,247 yards on the ground. If you add all this up, it doesn’t look too bad: the 19th-ranked defense, and the third-ranked offense. They are performing reasonably well on one side of the ball and spectacularly on the other. Why is their record what it is?
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The answer is very simple. They are in a very tough NFC conference and they have faced a difficult slate of teams thus far. Out of their six losses, four of them came to teams with six wins or more. And they lost the other two games by three and two points respectively. They have just had bad luck.
It’s not like facing a gritty team in the Baltimore Ravens will make it much easier for New Orleans, but despite the record, this is a team that can not be overlooked. Drew Brees has been one of the four or five best quarterbacks in the league for about eight years now, and he is always a threat to put up big numbers and tear apart any defense.
On top of that, the Saints started the season 3-0 at home, and we all know that traveling to The Big Easy is never a pleasant trip for the opponent.
Yes, they do hold a record of 4-6. but until Drew Brees leaves New Orleans, the Saints will always be a very dangerous team. With that being said; in my humble opinion, this is the toughest challenge remaining on the Baltimore Ravens schedule.