Finished: 1st Place in the NFC South; Lost in the Divisional Round
2012 Draft Position: 27th
Preseason Ranking: 2
Week 1: Lost at the Green Bay Packers, 42-34
Ranked - 17
Stopped just short of victory, the goal line stand by the Packers could very well come back to haunt the Saints when they have to board a plane in late January bound for the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field for a rematch.
Week 2: Defeated the Chicago Bears, 30-13
Ranked - 10
New Orleans, so close to knocking off Green Bay, left no doubt that they were better than Chicago with a solid victory before the home fans. Now they need to stay true at home and knock off the Texans this week in order to stay tied for first place with the winner of the Falcons-Buccaneers game.
Week 3: Defeated the Houston Texans, 40-33
Ranked - 6
Note to self: All we have to do is stay one point ahead of the other guys and then everything will be fine. Signed, Drew Brees.
Week 4: Defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 23-10
Ranked - 6
Drew Brees finally has the offense clicking and with the defense showing signs of life, the Saints are in perfect position to regain the division title they lost last season.
Week 5: Defeated the Carolina Panthers, 30-27
Ranked - 6
New Orleans can open up a huge lead in the NFC South if they take out the Bucs on Sunday in Tampa Bay. With all their division foes stung by recent losses, the division is theirs to lose.
Week 6: Lost at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 26-20
Ranked - 6 Indiana Jones Style Recap
[Congratulating Coach Raheem Morris on Tampa Bay's victory following the game]
Coach Sean Payton: Next time, Raheem, it will take more than my broken leg to save you.
Week 7: Defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 62-7
Ranked - 4
Way to shut down the offense late in the third quarter. No need to subject the stars to unnecessary punishment when the game has already been decided and the stats have been accumulated.
Week 8: Lost at the St. Louis Rams, 31-21
Ranked - 8
Even good teams have off days. I'll give the Saints a pass on their loss in St. Louis last week… if they are able to beat the Buccaneers this weekend.
Week 9: Defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27-16
Ranked - 7
The Saints evened their score with the Bucs and now only really have the Falcons to contend with for the division title.
Week 10: Defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 26-23
Ranked - 7
The Saints can rest easy during the bye week now that they have complete control over their own destiny.
Week 11: BYE WEEK
Ranked - 7
An extra day of rest should have the Saints ready to make a run for the playoffs.
Week 12: Defeated the New York Giants, 49-24
Ranked - 5
Brees is on fire and now that all the running backs are healthy, the Saints have added additional versatility to their potent offense.
Week 13: Defeated the Detroit Lions, 31-17
Ranked - 5
Until the Saints catch up with the 49ers, Drew Brees has no reason not to keep chasing Dan Marino's passing records.
Week 14: Defeated the Tennessee Titans, 22-17
Ranked - 4
The 49ers have stumbled and with games remaining against Minnesota, Atlanta and Carolina, New Orleans is primed to steal the NFC's remaining first-round bye.
Week 15: Defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 42-20
Ranked - 3
For my money, the NFC is a two-team race between the Saints and the Packers. On a neutral field, I think the Saints win. Unfortunately it looks like Drew Brees will have to learn to throw the ball in the snow as a date with the Packers in Green Bay looks like the road New Orleans will have to travel to make it to Super Bowl XLVI.
Week 16: Defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 45-16
Ranked - 2
The Saints' record-setting peformance on Monday should make a possible Wild Card rematch with Atlanta very interesting.
Week 17: Defeated the Carolina Panthers, 45-17
Ranked - 2
The Saints are the only NFC team that can match the Packers in a shoot-out, but they will have to win a couple road games on grass if they hope to return to the Super Bowl.
Wild Card Round: Defeated the Detroit Lions, 45-28
Ranked - 2
The high-flying Saints have been perfect at home, but now we get to see what they can do outside, on grass, in front of a hostile crowd.
Divisional Round: Lost at the San Francisco 49ers, 36-32
Final Ranking: 6
Tomorrow, the 2011 Green Bay Packers...
No comments:
Post a Comment