No Dome Field Advantage for New Orleans

There are many reasons for the Saints dismal season. One of them has been the inability to win at home in what was once one of the most daunting venues to play for opponents.

Bob Rose | Nov 15, 2022

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New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are 3-7 and spiraling out of control. They'll host the 3-6 Los Angeles Rams this Sunday as they try to climb out of last place in the dismal NFC South.

At one time, the Saints were nearly unbeatable at home. Early in coach Sean Payton's tenure, you could almost pencil in a minimum of six home wins for those teams.

Good football teams find a way to win games on the road in even the most hostile environments. Payton's better squads did exactly that. Bad football teams lose games at home, even against inferior opponents.

The Saints are a bad football team. They are just 11-11 at home since 2020, the very definition of mediocre. New Orleans is 2-3 at the Caesars Superdome in 2022.

Excluding a shutout of the Raiders, their once-vaunted defense has allowed an average of 29.6 points and 354 total yards against the Seahawks, Bengals, and Ravens.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) breaks a tackle by New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) to score a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. © Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

New Orleans has seven games remaining this season, with three of those at home. All three of those contests are against teams who currently have losing records.

- Rams (3-6)

- Falcons (4-6)

- Panthers (3-7)

Mathematically, the Saints remain in contention in the NFC South. They are two games behind division leader Tampa Bay (5-5) in the standings, with a road matchup against them still to come on December 5.

Forget about the playoffs. New Orleans just needs to win a game. They are three-point favorites to beat Los Angeles on Sunday. However, four of the Saints seven losses have come against teams with .500 or worse records.

Saints fans were always a loyal and loud bunch, giving their team a significant advantage at home. If New Orleans gets off to a slow start against an equally reeling Rams team, that crowd could turn on the home team quickly and put another gruesome turn on an ugly season.

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