The New Orleans Saints haven’t done enough to impress NFL.com columnist Adam Schein. Schein overlooked the Saints in favor of a handful of teams New Orleans has beaten on his list of the nine contenders that could dethrone the incumbent Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots.
Here’s Schein’s list of teams that can threaten the Patriots, both within their conference and in a theoretical Super Bowl matchup:
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Los Angeles Rams
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Indianapolis Colts
- Cleveland Browns
- Green Bay Packers
- Chicago Bears
The Saints are 6-2 against the teams on this list over the last two years, with an average score of 26-18. Their only losses came against the Rams in the conference title game and an upset against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. Both of those teams are prime regression candidates in 2019 after playing too many close games last season.
But, it’s the offseason, and it’s easy to hype things up like Carson Wentz throwing a tight spiral in minicamp after sitting out months with a back injury, or hoping that Todd Gurley’s knee isn’t as busted as it appeared in the Super Bowl. It’s easy to buy into the revitalized Packers or surging Browns, both of which missed the playoffs altogether. Maybe the Saints should have beaten the Eagles three times instead of just twice last year to earn a spot on this list.
