Saints have survived recent criticism to remain competitive, for the time being.
A few weeks prior, supporters of the New Orleans Saints’ second-year coach Dennis Allen were wearing “Fire Dennis Allen” T-shirts to show their displeasure with quarterback Derek Carr, who was being jeered by fans in the Superdome.
The critics have subsided, for the time being at least, after two straight wins.
With three games remaining, the Saints (7-7) are back at.500 and in control of their postseason fate.
It’s safe to say, then, that they refused to let the recent negative energy surrounding the team to get to them.
Allen stated on Monday, “Our focus has really been to kind of stick to our process.” We acknowledge that our performances haven’t always been as strong as we believe they can be. However, our guys continue to show up for work every day, we put in a ton of effort, and we work to solve problems.
“I think we’ve addressed a few and corrected a few over the last couple weeks,” Allen said.
The last two games that New Orleans has won haven’t exactly been against the best teams in the NFL.
They triumphed over the visiting Carolina Panthers in Week 14, despite their 2-12 record being the worst in the NFL. They defeated the New York Giants on Sunday; at 5-9, they are virtually guaranteed to miss the playoffs.
On the other hand, the Saints defeated the Giants, who entered the game riding a three-game winning streak, by a score of 18 points and by 22 points against the Panthers.
Even without his best receiver, Chris Olave, Carr had one of his most productive performances of the year on Sunday.
“This performance is what we have earned,” Carr stated. “The effort is worthwhile. It also makes you happy as an offense and a team.”
Currently, none of the three remaining teams in New Orleans’ schedule is above.500. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams are two of them with a 7-7 record. Atlanta is the other (6–8).
Tyrann Mathieu, the safety, stated, “We are still a confident team and a confident group.” “You want to be able to play well and win games as the season draws to a close. Often, the important thing is to win, regardless of the method.”
