Top 10 favorites for Super Bowl 53
6. New Orleans Saints
For basically the first time since winning the Super Bowl eight years ago, the Saints had a defense that was not a total sieve in 2017. They also had great balance offensively that they haven’t typically had, with the fifth-best rush offense in the league (129.4 yards per game) and Drew Brees failing to attempt more than 600 passes for the first time since that 2009 Super Bowl season.
The Saints’ place on this list, at No. 6 or at all really, is largely predicated on Brees (who is technically gong to be a free agent) returning. He and the team are saying the right things regarding wanting to stay and wanting him back, but there’s a chance some back-channeling is already being done to see what other teams would have interest in Brees if he were available.
If Brees leaves, New Orleans would be in the market for a veteran quarterback to take the reigns of a team that has the other pieces to be a Super Bowl contender. Cap space would be a concern, but a dip into the top of the free agent quarterback market would not necessarily be out of the question.
Piggybacking on @ProFootballTalk a bit here, but let’s say Drew Brees leaves the Saints-do they enter the market for Kirk Cousins? Should they?
— Brad Berreman (@bradberreman24) January 21, 2018
“The Minneapolis Miracle” kept the Saints from reaching the NFC Championship Game, where they would have been the favorite to beat the Philadelphia Eagles and go to Super Bowl LII. So it’s easy to see luck evening out some next year, and New Orleans going into a division rival’s stadium for Super Bowl LIII.