Saints: Chiefs are Imposing, but not Invincible
The Saints' loss in Philadelphia to the Eagles was not all too surprising. And, it's not all too dismal - especially if you're a Saints fan. One lesson learned - the underdog Eagles did not find beating the then NFC leading Saints as an imposing task. New Orleans can take a page out of the Eagles' book and have confidence heading into Sunday's tilt against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
The facts of losses are they can be a cleansing and motivating force for a team. The bitter taste of defeat has you appreciating the sweeter taste of victory. As Saints fans can testify, they have had their fair share of losing over the years and prefer not to return anytime soon.
Before New Orleans can look ahead to the playoffs, their primary focus is the "next game up." This week, that's the Chiefs.
One of the worst situations for a team is to be a playoff favorite, a challenger for the Super Bowl, but lose in an early-round playoff game. Saints players and coaches know this feeling too well after the Vikings' upset loss in the 2020 NFC Wild Card game.
Win, Lose or Draw. The only thing that matters is to win in the playoffs. There are times you need your bubble popped. It allows teams and professional players to reset, limit outside distractions, and focus on winning. The Saints needed a loss before the playoffs. In listening to Sean Payton's presser after the Eagles game, I believe the New Orleans coach and his staff needed this as much as the players.
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Coach Payton reflected on the loss to the Eagles by saying "you evaluate your preparation, and we didn't do a good enough job as coaches. Starting with myself in preparing our guys, and getting ready." You certainly have to believe he will make sure the team will be fully prepared for the Chiefs.
An NFL team performing at a high level for most of the regular season does not prevent an opposing team from desiring to win as well. The Eagles did it to the Saints, and the Saints can do it to the Chiefs on Sunday.
If the New Orleans Saints want us to believe the Eagles game was just a "glitch in the system" or a "blip on the screen," they must prepare for the champions.
The Test, Barometer, Measuring Stick, or whatever you want to call it for the Saints versus the Chiefs. This game will be a fight.
You may not can tell much from a dogfight, but you certainly can tell how much fight was inside the dog. We need to see the Saints fight. The real win for New Orleans will be the preparation and how the players battle from the first whistle to the last. If they notch the "W", it becomes a great triumph for the team. If they fall, it will be about how well they fell inside of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
New Orleans needs to be ready to roll for all four quarters or more. This season, the Saints have fought back and won games from early deficits. Loomis and Payton have built this squad for this task.
The heart of a champion is more about the will, intensity, fire, and passion that can be channeled against losing. The drive to win.
Can the 2020 New Orleans Saints stand up to the challenge versus the Chiefs, win the game, and set up a possible rematch in Super Bowl 55? This is why they play the games.
We shall see.
