The New Orleans Saints Are Mathematically Eliminated From 2026 NFL Playoffs: Is Anyone Really Shocked?
Well, it happened. The band-aid has finally been ripped off, and we can all stop pretending there was a chance. The New Orleans Saints have officially been eliminated from playoff contention.
Following a dismal loss to the Miami Dolphins, coupled with unhelpful results elsewhere in the league, the Saints are mathematically out of the race. At 2-10, this marks the franchise’s worst start since their very first year in existence back in 1967. You know, the year they wore those goofy helmets and finished 3-14? Yeah, that’s the company this current squad is keeping. But let’s be real for a second: did anyone actually think this season was going anywhere?
The Writing Was on the Wall
Sure, ownership tossed around words like “rebuild” and “transition,” which is usually code for “we’re going to be bad, please still buy tickets.” But I doubt even the most pessimistic fans in the Superdome expected a collapse of this magnitude. First-year Head Coach Kellen Moore looks less like an offensive genius and more like a guy trying to read a map in a foreign language while driving 100 miles per hour.
The offense has no rhythm, and honestly, they really don’t have a quarterback, as both options are awful. The defense looks uninspired, and Moore looks lost on the sidelines. Although that’s an upgrade to whatever the heck Dennis Allen was doing previously coaching the Saints.
The Loomis Problem
If we’re pointing fingers—and at 2-10, we absolutely should be—we have to look upstairs. General Manager Mickey Loomis is now 0-for-8 in building a playoff team without Sean Payton at the helm. That is a damning statistic, and honestly, does anyone know why he is still here? Oh, right, the owner refuses to take accountability and thinks it’s ridiculous to let him go.
Loomis swung for the fences, mortgaging the future to build around Dennis Allen and Derek Carr, a gamble that failed so spectacularly it should probably be studied in sports business schools. The team was at one point, drowning in over $100 million of dead money. That Super Bowl ring from 2009 and legendary 2017 NFL Draft Class is doing a lot of heavy lifting right now, but even that glory is starting to fade under the weight of nearly a decade of mismanagement.
Is There Anything Left to Watch In Saints Games?
Now that the Saints are playing for nothing but pride (and draft position), is there any reason to turn on the TV on Sundays?
Actually, yes. But only if you enjoy the anxiety of evaluating the future. The rest of this season is basically an extended audition. We need to see if Kellen Moore can actually coach his way out of a paper bag with the Saints.
Then there’s the quarterback situation. All eyes are on Tyler Shough. Can he show enough flashes of competence to stop the front office from spending a top-3 pick on a quarterback in the 2026 Draft? If he looks like a franchise guy, maybe the Saints can trade down or grab a generational talent at another position. If he flops? Well, get ready for months of mock drafts debating which college kid can save this sinking ship.
The Bottom Line
It hurts. It always hurts when a season ends this early. There’s a specific kind of pain in knowing your team is playing meaningless football while others are gearing up for a title run. But maybe this rock bottom is what New Orleans needed. No more delusions of grandeur. No more “kicking the can down the road” with the salary cap. The reality check has arrived, and it bounced.
