The New Orleans Saints have kicked off their season in an interesting manner for everyone involved. After their first two games, blowout of the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers, some folks believed they were NFC contenders.
After Week 3 and 4, they've crashed back to Earth with two heartbreaking losses in close games.
Saints' bad luck making NFL history
You can call it luck or decision-making mixed with on-field play. Regardless, the Saints' start to the 2024 season is nearly unfounded.
They hold a +57 point differential after two games. They've allowed just four offensive touchdowns. Are they 4-0? No, they are 2-2 and third in the NFC South.
According to Luke Johnson, the Saints are the first team since the 1981 Bills with a +50 scoring differential to go 2-2.
Why should Saints fans care about this particular statistic?
That Bills team finished the regular season at 10-6. They were a playoff team after and even got a victory in the Wild Card Round. Former Saints HC Jim Haslett was actually on that Bills roster, too.
During that 1981 season for Buffalo, they finished their season with wins in four of their final five games. Due to a tough early schedule, that may be a potential route for the Saints to get into postseason play.
The second half of their schedule includes matchups with the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams, and Las Vegas Raiders.
All of those are games where New Orleans should probably be favored entering the week of play, depending on injuries.
No matter what - the Saints' odd and ambiguous start to this season has seen success in the past. Only time will tell if Dennis Allen's team can rekindle that sort of magic to get back to the playoffs.
