New Orleans Saints: How would team have been better in Super Bowl 53?
Super Bowl 53 could go down as the most boring in history. Even though it’s over, it’s not hard to imagine what the New Orleans Saints could have done.
Super Bowl LIII was boring, to say the least. A game full of punts, turnovers and field goals, it might go down as one of the worst ever. With a low final score of 13-3, the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams didn’t dazzle anyone. Looking at the game, both teams were evenly matched with their defense making up a bulk of the action.
There’s still one thought that’s lingering in some fan’s minds, though. The season’s already over, but the New Orleans Saints would have made it a more interesting game as the NFC representatives. Many point to the blown call against the Rams as proof and it holds a lot of merits. With the game now over, though, it’s interesting to think about what could have been.
There’s no denying the Rams fought to be there, but so did the Saints. The team clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC and made their claim as the team to beat. They handled the Eagles in the Divisional Round before the Rams traveled to them. In a perfect world, the pass interference would have been called and the Saints would have scored.
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With a win, they would have secured their place in the Super Bowl. What would have set them apart against New England is their chemistry as a team. Goff is a young guy with a young team, but Brees is older with a young team. Throughout the season, we watched him guide them to win after win. His experience would have been key against the Patriots.
Looking back at the last time the Patriots and Saints met, the Saints were an entirely different team. They were still trying to make it work with Adrian Peterson. Since then, they’ve grown so much. Their defense is improved, Kamara has emerged as a starter and Brees had an MVP-caliber season. The 2018 Saints are very different from the 2017 Saints.
Even though Super Bowl LIII was a defensive struggle, Brees would have made the game interesting. The way he connects with his receivers, it’s magical. His connection to Michael Thomas is easily the most impressive and it would have been on display against the Patriots. Most of all, it would have been the last hurrah for Brees as he could have gone out on top.
Overall, there’s a lot the Saints could have done. From trick plays on special teams to Kamara as a double-threat to Lattimore picking off Brady, there’s no shortage of ideas on what they could have done. No matter the amount of “What ifs,” it doesn’t change what happened. The Patriots still won and the Saints were at home. Next year, it could be an entirely different conversation, though. The Saints could be in the Super Bowl or possibly winning a Super Bowl.
Next. 2019 NFL Mock Draft: Post-Super Bowl 53 edition. dark
There is still a lot of hope going into the 2019 season. The New Orleans Saints are in a strange limbo with having a great team while having to plan for the future. The draft brings with it the promise of new talent and possibly the start of a new era. Before a new era starts, there’s still time for Brees to win another Super Bowl. His window might be closing, but it hasn’t closed yet.