NFL Preview 2018

February 3, 2019.  The day the obnoxious Miami Dolphin geezers had to put away the champagne, when the two great geezer Quarterbacks, Drew Brees and Tom Brady, met before both announcing their retirements..

The New Orleans Saints did it.  They completed the first undefeated 19 – 0 season by rolling over their last opponent, The New England Patriots, by a 43 -14 score in the Super Bowl.  The irony was thick.  They defeated the only team to previously get close, the Patriots who had their bid for immortality stymied back in 2008 by the New York Giants, and it happened in the Falcon’s home stadium.  The Falcons seemed on the verge of beating the Patriots in Super Bowl 51 when they blew a 28 – 3 lead.

The Saints would not blow their lead today.  Drew Brees was a perfect 30-30 for 300 yards passing, Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram had over 150 yards from scrimmage each, and the Saints defense, which allowed less than 7 points per game was equally impressive.  The Saints were simply the most dominating team in NFL history.

That's the way the Saints season will go.

Or they could go 8-8 and be a major disappointment.

Who knows? The Saints appear loaded. They have a dominant offensive line, a hall of fame quarterback, a running back tandem that can dominate, and a continually improving defense.  Their kicking games is sound, and they appear healthy.  They have a receiver who has caught more passes in his first two years than anyone ever has.  They have built through the draft and are young and talented.

Here’s the problem.  Just getting out of the division will be a task.  The Falcons and Panthers aren’t going away. The biggest problem with going 16 – 0 is that would mean you have to go 6 – 0 in the division, and probably still face a divisional team somewhere in the playoffs.  The Panthers, Falcons and Saints all made the playoffs last year, and the Saints beat the Panthers three times, accounting for half of the Panthers 6 losses.  Think the Panthers have been watching film all summer?  Then there are the two unknowns – injuries and zebras. 

So, we have a couple days left to dream.  Then, we’ll see how long before the limb I just went out on breaks. When in doubt, dream.