End of an Era: The New Orleans Saints blow another Super Bowl run
NEW ORLEANS (BVM) — That’s it. That was the last shot for the New Orleans Saints, and they failed once again.
For a team like the Buffalo Bills or Detroit Lions, these playoff losses would not have stung as bad, but the Saints were held to a much higher standard than this. Ever since 2017, they have been Super Bowl contenders. Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram Jr., Drew Brees, Marshon Lattimore, and those names don’t even cover half of the endless talent that New Orleans has had for the last half-decade. Other than the Pittsburgh Steelers, there is arguably no NFL team that has wasted more talent in recent history. The Saints have won a total of three playoff games in the last five years, falling far below the expectations that were set for this team.
In 2017, there was the Minneapolis Miracle. New Orleans was up 24-23 against the Minnesota Vikings with less than 10 seconds remaining. Vikings’ quarterback Case Keenum throws a 61-yard Hail Mary to wide receiver Stefon Diggs over safety Marcus Williams. The following season, the Saints wanted to prove that this elimination was a mirage. Running back Alvin Kamara said in a Bleacher Report interview, that the Saints would have, “beat the s*** out of the Eagles,” if they had the chance to match up with them in the Championship Game the previous year.
The Saints were confident that their squad would bounce back into action, and that’s exactly what they did. They had the best record of the 2018 season and had one of the best teams in franchise history. Quarterback Drew Brees passed Brett Favre and Peyton Manning for most passing yards in NFL history. In the Divisional Round, they snuck past the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles with a 20-14 victory.
The Saints would proceed to lose to the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 26-23 in overtime in the NFC Championship Game. The game was highlighted by arguably the worst call in NFL history. Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis was hit before he could even catch the ball, which should have resulted in a pass interference penalty. No call was made, and the football world continued to rain criticism on the NFL’s officiating that year. This would unfortunately overshadow the fact that the Saints blew two double-digits leads in that game, and shouldn’t have been passing the ball at that point in the game. It was a drastic call, but they had plenty of chances to win that matchup.
Two years in a row, the Saints’ Super Bowl contention was tarnished by two of the most painful losses in playoff history. They added more talent to their squad, including tight end Jared Cook and running back Latavius Murray. Once again, they were among the best teams in the league, having the No. 3 overall seed in the NFC.
The Saints would proceed to play in the Wild Card Round. Sadly, this loss to the Vikings could not be blamed on a last-second touchdown or bad penalty. In another overtime brawl, Minnesota beat New Orleans 26-20. With the way Drew Brees and the defense were playing, the Saints are lucky that they were even able to stay in the game and not get crushed.
Brees’ poor play seemed like a bump in the road, and nothing to fret over. However, this level of play would boil over into the 2020 NFL season. He was notoriously criticized for his lack of arm strength. Brees only averaged 7.5 yards per pass attempt. He was way too reliant on Alvin Kamara, who was both the Saints’ leading rusher and receiver that year.
Still, the team went 12-4, hoping that Brees’ play could be good enough to reach the Super Bowl. But once again, the Saints would fail. They lost to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the division rivals that they crushed twice during that regular season. Drew Brees retired on one of the worst performances in his career. As sad as it sounds, it was probably best that he hung up his cleats. At age 41, his level of play was only continuing to decline. Brees had 134 passing yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. The Saints continue to dismantle their team in the 2021 free agency, given that they were nearly $100 million over the salary cap. This was their final year to make an impact, and they failed once again.
If Saints fans stopped watching football in December, these seasons could be considered successes. But if they were hoping that Drew Brees would get his second Super Bowl ring, then they were sadly disappointed. Brees could only carry this team for so long and age finally caught up to him. Their leader is gone and the Super Bowl-bound talent has been casted off to new teams. As the Buccaneers ascend to the top of the league in power rankings, the Saints fall with an unknown future. They had numerous opportunities throughout the years, but couldn’t get it done in the end. When reflecting over this last half-decade, the Saints will be remembered as the team that could have been.
