What The Saints Should Take Away and Need To Learn From Another Lost Season

The Saints have some lessons to learn after being eliminated from the playoffs for a fourth straight year.

Nov 3, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) hands off to running back Alvin Kamara (41) during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

With the Falcons victory over the Giants on Sunday, the Saints have been eliminated from the postseason for the fourth consecutive year. It's become a familiar story for New Orleans, being out of it by midseason and then trying to rally to make something of it. Unfortunately, that strategy has failed yet again.

We're going to look at two angles for the Saints here, with the first focusing on what the Saints should take away and learn from another losing season. The other will be focusing on what they can take away, more of a positive spin. Call it lessons learned or having to face harsh realities, but these are some clear areas New Orleans needs to look at in the mirror.

What The Saints SHOULD Take Away From Another Losing Season

Oct 13, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) returns a punt for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Injuries Weren't Their Only Problem

Injuries are a part of the game, and that's not new information. Yes, it's unfortunate and it certainly played a factor in the Saints' losing season, but there's deeper issues here. The fact that the soft tissue injuries were more common early on (honestly going back to training camp) and it took the team until November to introduce their 'activation' period to cut down on them is pretty crazy.

Bad luck happens, but good teams do overcome the injuries and can weather that storm. Look at the Rams as an example. The coach does matter too. The argument can also be made to have better depth at positions, and that's an area where New Orleans needs to grow too.

Injuries are unfortunate, but the Saints just can't use this as a primary driver for having another losing season.

They Have To Get Better At Playing Complete Games

With as many one-score losses as New Orleans has had over the years, they have to find a way to finish games. If some of those games go the other way, then maybe it means they're in the playoffs. Maybe it means they're just on the cusp of something. Regardless, they are what the record says and the need to play four quarters of football every week and show up in all three phases of the game has to be a focal point.

Everything Has To Be On The Table In The Offseason

Four years without a postseason appearance isn't really acceptable if you're a fan of the Saints. It also shouldn't be acceptable if you're in a high position with the team. They went three straight years (2014-2016) without getting in and that prompted some major changes. When you get into territory of the 2001-2005 Saints, then you're in trouble.

It goes without saying, but the next Saints head coach has to be the right one. Continuity with Dennis Allen didn't work out, and he clearly wasn't the guy to follow in Sean Payton's footsteps. If that plan includes Mickey Loomis as the GM and Derek Carr as your quarterback, then early sustainable success has to be the measuring stick. There's some tough conversations to be had in the building, and when it's all said and done there could be an entirely new coaching staff in the building on both sides of the ball.

Here's something I said in a recent radio appearance, which I believe is really true on the outlook of the Saints.

You cannot just look at how this team has gone for four years and just sit here and say that you think you're close. I don't think the close argument is there. I think you're in a bad division and you're trying to convince yourself that you can compete in this bad division and look where it's kind of got you. It's not changed anything for this team.

Maybe The Offseason Strategy Needs To Change

There's areas on the roster the Saints have to get much better at, and hopefully they see that. Being able to navigate the salary cap every year is great, but here's the thing. It has to work to avoid criticism. It hasn't. The first time it really worked against New Orleans was in 2021 when the revenues during COVID caused nearly a $16 million decrease. They played some catchup and have handled it, but is it really hindering them?

They're in a spot where they can't tear it down, because financially it's impossible. They're going to call this a retooling, and that's honestly all it can be. Realistically, it might be another couple of years before they can get out of that cycle. What's the strategy to get there? That's the multimillion dollar question ahead of them to figure out.

The Saints have many lessons to learn from another season of disappointment, but will they and how will it change? When they get finished with their final three regular season games, we'll see how serious they are about change.