GLENDALE, Ariz. — Most NFL teams hate Thursday games. Short weeks wreak havoc on their carefully calibrated weekly routine, not to mention the recovery process of players’ bodies.
But sometimes a short week can be a welcome change. And the one the Saints have this week would seem to apply.
The early kickoff allows them to quickly move past the dispiriting 30-26 loss to Cincinnati and the cloud of negativity and the accompanying cloud of negativity.
A victory over the Arizona Cardinals could serve as a catalyst for the rest of their season, as well as a much-needed salve for their wounded psyches.
"We're not far off, but at the same time, we're not where we want to be," defensive end Cam Jordan said. "There's a direction that we're heading and we have to be able to get there fast."
The Cardinals might just be the perfect get-right opponent. Like the Saints, they have stumbled to a 2-4 start and have one of the most injury-riddled rosters in the league. Quarterback Kyler Murray and fourth-year coach Kliff Kingsbury are under fire from fans and the local media.
It’s a far cry from where things stood a year ago, when the Cardinals bolted to a 6-0 start and were the darlings of the league.
What’s more, the Cardinals have struggled at State Farm Stadium. They have lost six consecutive home games, including all three there this season.
In every way, this is a winnable game. The Cardinals scored just nine points last week against the same Seahawks defense the Saints streamrolled a week earlier. If the Saints just play sound football and execute some of the basics like, oh, tackling the ball carrier and not turning over the ball, then they should have every chance to leave the desert at 3-4.
A 2-4 start normally would spell doom for the Saints’ playoff chances, but the mediocrity of the NFC South has kept them in contention. The Bucs and Falcons are tied for the early division lead at 3-3. The Saints have already defeated the Falcons in their house. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay and Tom Brady look entirely beatable these days. The division is there for the taking.
A loss would drop the Saints to depths they haven’t experienced in a while. The last time they started a season 2-5 was 2012, the infamous bounty season. That also was the last time they played a season without Sean Payton as their head coach.
Only six teams since 2010 have recovered from a 2-5 start to make the playoffs. The Saints have done it once: In 1990, when they rallied to finish 8-8 and earn a wild-card berth.
But first things first. The Saints need to get their house in order. They need to play better in every facet of the game, especially on defense, where they have been patently impotent. They need to find their mojo. They need something to kick-start a season that has felt off almost from the start.
The return of injured rookies Chris Olave and Alontae Taylor should bolster the team’s injury-riddled receiving corps and secondary. Most of the game-week attention focused on Olave, who has enjoyed a strong start to his rookie campaign. But Taylor’s presence might be even more critical. Marshon Lattimore is sidelined for a second consecutive game. His absence is a major concern with Cardinals star receiver DeAndre Hopkins back in the fold after serving a six-game suspension to start the season. The Cardinals also just traded for Robbie Anderson, another deep threat.
“We’ve got to get back to winning,” Olave said earlier this week. “That’s the No. 1 goal.”
A win would do wonders for the Saints’ mental state. The team will have three consecutive days off after the game, and the “mini-bye” in the schedule should allow injured stars Lattimore, Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry time to heal their injuries.
Win or lose, the Saints simply need to stick together, as Tyrann Mathieu said after the Bengals game. So far, they have managed to stay galvanized despite the early adversity. But with each loss, the frustration and potential for disengagement grows. It’s on Allen, his staff and the team leaders to right things.
The season feels like it could go either way. A win in the desert could change the trajectory of it.
“It’s a long season,” Saints co-defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said. “It’s early. But we also don’t want this thing to get away from us, either. … We’ve got good enough players and a (good enough) coaching staff to get this thing right. We just need to stay the course, and nobody panic.”
Nielsen was talking about the Saints defensive unit, but he might as well have been talking about the Saints as a whole.