The New Orleans Saints’ 1-2 opening has already shown both sides of the equation: real upside and the growing pains that come with a young team trying to put it all together.
Coming into 2026, the expectations around New Orleans were all over the map. The Saints had finished last season on a strong note and looked like a team ready to seize control of a soft NFC South. At the same time, there was still a fair question hanging over them - could that momentum last for a full season?
September answered that in dramatic fashion. New Orleans opened by pushing the Lions to the edge in Detroit, a game they arguably should have won.
A week later, they stunned the league by beating the heavily favored Ravens in Baltimore. Just like that, the Saints were 1-1 and carrying real buzz into a home meeting with the Raiders, who had surprisingly started 2-0.
That’s where the ride hit a bump. Las Vegas walked into New Orleans and left with a win, dropping the Saints to 1-2 and reminding everyone that this roster is still a work in progress.
Still, a 1-2 record doesn’t bury this team, especially in a division as weak as the NFC South. Cody Williams of FanSided graded every NFL team for September and gave the Saints a B-.
"I was never one of the people going full bore in on the New Orleans Saints this season. Their defense still looks a little too long in the tooth to meaningfully compete and contend this season, even if there are parts on both sides of the ball I'm high on.
That's what we've seen play out after a 1-2 start. Tyler Shough and the offense look like the real deal, but the defense hasn't been able to come up with enough stops.
Given the woes of the NFC South at large, though, maybe that's enough to propel New Orleans to a division title even still."
That take lines up pretty cleanly with what’s happened on the field. The Saints’ defense has flashed at times, but surrendering 35 points to the Raiders left a bad taste, especially with Brock Bowers finding so much room to work.
On the other side, the offense has given New Orleans plenty to feel good about. Williams singled out the unit, and that praise fits. Tyler Shough has already turned heads through his first three games of his sophomore season, and even with a costly fumble against Las Vegas, he still threw four touchdowns and looked like a quarterback the league has to take seriously.
The broader picture is pretty simple: the Saints have a path. The formula is there for a team that could still win the NFC South and reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season. But the flaws are there too, and that’s part of the deal with a young group still sorting itself out.
Kellen Moore appears to have them headed in the right direction. The 1-2 start says as much. It also says this team is still learning how to finish games the right way.
In Week 1, the offense started slow before finding its rhythm, while the defense kept New Orleans in the game early. In Week 3, the script flipped: the offense came out hot, then faded late, and the defense couldn’t slow down the Raiders.
That’s the story of the Saints right now. There’s promise, there’s talent, and there’s enough there to think a playoff run is possible.
But first, they have to clean up the rough edges. They have to walk before they can run.
In Other News...
Saints Still Waiting On Jordyn Tyson After Latest Kellen Moore Update
The Saints are getting close to a possible boost at wide receiver, with rookie Jordyn Tyson set to become eligible to return next week after sitting out four games with a hamstring injury. Tyson landed on injured reserve at the start of the season after the team projected a two-month recovery, and his absence has kept the Saints waiting on a player they hoped could eventually help deepen the position.
Kellen Moores latest update, though, suggests the wait may continue a little longer. The Saints coach said Tyson is not expected to practice next week, even if that could still change, and the situation is part of a bigger concern given Tysons run of hamstring issues over the past year. For New Orleans, the next step is less about activation right away and more about finding out when Tyson can finally start building momentum again. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Keep Landing At The Center Of NFL Replay Controversy
The Saints have found themselves at the center of yet another replay conversation this season, landing in three straight NFL instant replay pool reports, a run that stands out since the Pro Football Writers Association began posting them in 2024. Each time, Mark Butterworth, the leagues vice president of instant replay, has been the one walking through the rulings on the controversial calls, keeping New Orleans in the middle of a discussion that usually fades quickly after the final whistle.
For a team trying to stay focused on the field, the repeat appearances are an unwanted kind of familiarity. New Orleans is tied for third in total games with pool reports since 2024, behind only the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles, who lead with nine each, but the Saints latest stretch has made them feel even more prominent in the replay spotlight than the raw totals suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Face Falcons In A Superdome Night That Means More
Monday night brings more than a division game to the Superdome, where the Saints are set to face the Falcons in a setting loaded with memory as well as football. The matchup lands on the 20th anniversary of New Orleans returning to its home stadium after Hurricane Katrina, turning a familiar NFC South stage into something bigger for the city and for a franchise that has long tied its identity to that building.
Atlanta enters a nationally televised spot with Kevin Stefanski acknowledging both the challenge of the environment and the emotional weight surrounding the night. For the Saints, it is the kind of occasion that gives a regular-season game extra texture, with the atmosphere, the history and the rivalry all pressing together at once. [Read more 🡒]