The New Orleans Saints began the season with modest expectations, but they still managed to fall short, ending with just five wins and finishing at the bottom of the NFC South. Numerous factors contributed to this disastrous campaign, but injuries played a pivotal role.
After a promising start in the first two weeks, the Saints quickly began to unravel as key players suffered significant injuries. From that point on, the team’s lack of depth became glaring, and the season spiraled into chaos.
The Saints have frequently used injuries as an excuse for their poor performance, acknowledging that health was a major issue this season. However, former head coach Sean Payton, now with the Denver Broncos, reminded the team that health isn’t purely a matter of luck. Payton, who led the Broncos to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth this year, reflected on the importance of injury management during his end-of-season press conference. He praised Denver for being the least-injured team last season and the second least this year, noting that maintaining health isn’t just about chance—it requires effort and organization.
Payton pointed out that teams struggling with injuries, like his former Saints, earn their place on that end of the injury spectrum. It wasn’t a coincidence that he mentioned this during his press conference, likely sending a subtle jab at New Orleans’ continued struggles with injuries.
While injuries are a constant in football, Payton’s comments highlight the organizational steps that can be taken to minimize them. The Saints made an attempt to address this by having special teams coach Darren Rizzi implement mandatory pre-practice warm-ups midseason. However, this alone may not be enough to fix the underlying issues contributing to the injuries.
The Saints must identify and address these organizational flaws if they want to avoid repeating the failures of the 2024 season. Without changes, they risk more seasons plagued by injury-related setbacks.
