3 reasons why the Saints are the NFC’s best in 2020

The New Orleans Saints are the team to beat in 2020. Amongst the NFC, they standout as the best team in the conference for three reasons.

The New Orleans Saints will be a force in 2020.

The Saints are coming off a 13-3 campaign in 2019. One that oddly was only good enough for a third seed in the NFC, and led to an upset loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Wild Card round.

However, heading into the 2020 season, the Saints look to be the best in their conference.

Lethal offensive weapons

The Saints roster is loaded going into 2020. Quarterback Drew Brees, 41, signed a two-year deal earlier this offseason. With Brees back under center, the offense is in prime position to have a successful season. Unfortunately, they did lose backup Teddy Bridgewater to the Panthers in free agency.

However, if something is to happen to Brees the Saints have their backup in Taysom Hill. An athletic quarterback that has gotten his snaps. Hill is the guy head coach Sean Payton has been grooming to be the heir apparent for Brees.

Then there’s the weapons.

Michael Thomas is one of the most productive wideouts in the NFL today and seems more confident than ever. He’s coming off a season where he caught 149 passes and racked up 1,725 receiving yards with nine touchdowns. If last season’s stat line wasn’t any indication:

Pair Thomas with newly-acquired receiver Emmanuel Sanders, and those two are a dangerous tandem.

Alvin Kamara has proven to be the ideal backfield weapon for the Saints, using his dual talents of running and receiving. When needed the offense can turn to Latavius Murray to lessen the load.

Good coaching

Continuity in this offense will key success in 2020. This season, all 32 teams will have less time to prepare with fewer offseason workouts. This will be more challenging for newer coaches. For the Saints, this will be advantageous because head coach Sean Payton, who is already amongst the best, is working with many of the same pieces.

Adding or installing different wrinkles in the offense won’t be much of a challenge. On the defensive side it seems like the Saints will move on from defensive back Eli Apple. He currently remains a free agent as a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders fell a part.

With the roster as is, the Saints could use the draft to bolster their defense. In any case, this unit is still good enough to go deep in the postseason. Payton will have to get creative with the addition of safety Malcolm Jenkins, along with filling the void for Apple.

Favorites to win NFC South

While the NFC South is certainly nothing to sneeze at, the Saints remain the biggest threats.

The Carolina Panthers have gone into rebuild mode under their new head coach Matt Rhule. The Atlanta Falcons added Todd Gurley, who is desperate for a rebound season, but he won’t fix all of the Falcons problems.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have replaced Jameis Winston with Tom Brady, but will Brady be successful in Bruce Arians system? Will it be enough to take down the Saints? Until proven otherwise, the Saints are the team to beat.

With Brees getting older, the time is now for the Saints to make their move.