Yikes. The New Orleans Saints sure don’t look like a playoff team after losing 7 of their first 10 games to start the season, and the numbers back that up. The latest season forecast at FiveThirtyEight gives the Saints a 6% chance of reaching the postseason, which is second-worst in the NFC South. Only the Carolina Panthers (5%) face longer odds.
That’s quite a fall from grace for a team that touted itself as a Super Bowl contender throughout the offseason, having trusted Dennis Allen to maintain continuity with Sean Payton’s tenure without, well, Sean Payton. Instead Allen’s Saints team has played just as poorly as his Raiders teams from a decade ago, tying for the third-most penalties (72) across the league with a poorly-disciplined defense and inconsistent-at-best offense.
