New Orleans Saints

ESPN’s NFL Nation reporters predicted records for all teams in the upcoming NFL season and predicted that the New Orleans Saints will finish the 2014-2015 regular season with a record of 11-5 and are likely to win the NFC South division title. The Saints began regular season play by losing on the road to division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons.

The Saints roster boasts plenty of talent including QB Drew Brees, WR Marques Colston, TE Jimmy Graham and RB Pierre Thomas. Brees has been nothing but great news for the Saints since arriving in 2006 from the San Diego Chargers. He has won numerous accolades including MVP and Offensive Player of the Year and led the team to its Super Bowl XLIV victory. The Saints have been well known for finding talent in the undrafted rookie free-agent pool, which is where they found Thomas in 2007, beating out a 4th round draft pick. Colston has established himself throughout the league as a difficult-to-defend target and Graham is considered an NFL elite tight end and rising star, becoming a favorite target of Brees. In the Saints’ preseason victory over the Tennessee Titans, NOLA fans voted Graham as the offensive MVP.

As well as defeating the Titans in preseason play, the Saints were also able to grab victories over the St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts although they were defeated in the final preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, losing 22-13. 

In addition to facing their NFL South division rivals each twice this season, the Saints will also face off against the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears among other squads. The Saints only have 2 back-to-back road games, at the very start of the season and have a midseason stint of 3 home games in a row. Fans and analysts have high expectations for the team and they have rarely disappointed in the past several years. The Saints are definitely a squad for other teams to watch out for.