It's deliciously tempting to consider the "what if" of the season right now, but the "what is" is that the New Orleans Saints (6-10), winners of four straight games for the first time since the team won nine straight in 2020, are heading to Atlanta to play the Falcons (7-9) on Sunday in the season finale at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Saints are closing on a promising note, with only four teams currently owning longer winning streaks and a chance to spring into an offseason that already is full of hope.
The spring will be a lot better with a win against their NFC South Division rival. Here are a few ways to extend the streak to five:
1. NEXT MEN UP
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough is on an impressive three-game heater — 913 yards passing, four touchdowns and no interceptions. The trust earned while producing without several starters (at receiver, right guard, left guard, running back, right tackle) throughout his eight starts lends itself to more trust. But his job got more difficult this week: Receiver Chris Olave, who caught 48 passes for 660 yards and six touchdowns in Shough's eight starts and established career highs with 100 catches for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns, is out after a blood clot was found in his lung. Shough's receiving corps will begin with Kevin Austin Jr. and Dante Pettis if Mason Tipton is unavailable, but this could be another big game for tight end Juwan Johnson, who already has career highs in catches (74) and yards (828). Shough will be under pressure — Atlanta's 53 sacks are second most in the league — so he needs to be quick and decisive. Protection must hold and Johnson has to make himself available.
2. REMEMBER THE RUN
Credit the Saints' patience with the running game against Tennessee, because most of the damage was done in the second half. Audric Estimé (14 carries, 94 yards) broke free for the game-sealing, 32-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to account for 31 percent of the Saints' 103 rushing yards. The Falcons allow 127 yards per game, seventh most in the league, but they usually play New Orleans tough in the run game. The Saints have to position themselves — an early lead would help — to make the run game effective.
3. STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
There's good reason for the belief that Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is the NFL's best offensive player. He has 1,445 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 272 carries and 810 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 76 catches. He's elusive and fast and if he gets into a seam, he won't be caught from behind. The Saints have to rally to the ball as a defense when Robinson has it because he's a scoring threat every time he touches the ball. Saints linebacker Demario Davis has a career high 137 tackles this season, and he'll add to the total Sunday.
4. END GAME
Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins hasn't wowed during Atlanta's three-game winning streak — 696 passing yards while completing 65 percent of his passes. But he hasn't turned it over (one interception) and he hasn't taken sacks (two) while throwing six touchdowns. Cousins remains capable of producing a big game (373 yards and three touchdowns in a win against Tampa Bay) but the Saints, who have 12 sacks in the last two games, are just as capable of destroying his rhythm. The edge pressure is supplied by Cameron Jordan (9.5 sacks) and Chase Young (8.5), but pressure up the middle from the defensive tackles could prove pivotal, too.
