The ebbs and flows of an NFL season from week to week will see fans and analytic observers change their opinion from week to week. Hell, as a fan you might have a different opinion of your team from play to play. For the most part, this late in a season (Week 16), we have set opinions and ideas about what almost every team is capable of. We know what teams are legit and what teams are hitting a ceiling sooner of later. I have maintained that the Saints have a ceiling that extends all the way to the Super Bowl. The NFC is there for the taking and they have what it takes.
The Saints are skilled enough to do it. They officially have six Pro Bowlers on the team and shockingly enough they are not all offensive players. The Saints defense is playing fast and at a high level at all three levels. From the defensive line to the linebackers and to the secondary, the Saints defensive unit is not perfect, but they are capable of making the type of championship plays lesser defenses have made on their way to a title. Sure the Saints occasionally succumb to the run and penalties hurt the secondary. That does not matter though, because most of the time they don’t and honestly, in today’s NFL, literally EVERY defense is susceptible to the run and penalties. There are no more perfect defenses. The league does not allow it. The Saints are skilled enough on defense to win a championship.
The Saints are talented enough to do it. Six Pro Bowlers means the Saints have one of the deepest and most talented teams in the NFL. Two of their running backs are about to be 1,500 yard rushers! Their quarterback is a first ballot Hall of Famer! And even though every one of them was snubbed in Pro Bowl voting, the New Orleans offensive line is one of, if not the best in all of football. Even with an occasionally porous third down conversion rate, the Saints are too talented to not get theirs on offense and they are talented enough, top to bottom, to win a championship.
If you watch this team and do not see championship caliber, then there is only one question you are asking that is being answered in the negative. I can see the answer to this question being no. I disagree, but I can see why. That question is: are the Saints durable enough?
In almost all other sports, championships are normally obtained by the best and most talented teams, but in football it is more than that. In football, resisting the wear and tear as a collective football team is just as important as having a sound run game and solid defense. In other sports you can place blame on failures because of unfortunate injuries. Injuries are a part of every athletic competition, but they are not as expected or tolerated as they are in football. That is why being able to perservere and survive the rigors of a season matter so much. There is no “if only this guy was on the field” in football. There is only, “if only they were durable enough.” Unfortunately for the Saints, their durability is being tested a lot more than most teams. With Kenny Wayne Vaccaro being the latest to join the Injured Reserve list, the Saints are riddled with fallen contributors. So we hearken back to that question everyone seems to forget to ask: are they durable enough? It is more of a toss up than the talent or skill questions, but I believe the Saints are durable enough to make it to the Super Bowl. The balance and the depth of the roster allow them to withstand these sort of injuries. I just don’t know how many more they can take.
– Alan Michael