Don’t Sleep on the Saints: Why New Orleans Is My Surprise Team of 2026

Every NFL season has that team.

The one nobody circles in August.

The one the experts predict will finish third in its division.

The one that suddenly finds itself hosting a playoff game in January while everyone else wonders where it came from.

This year, that team is the New Orleans Saints.

Go ahead and laugh.

Call it a hot take.

Bookmark it for later.

I’m planting my flag now: the Saints will win the NFC South and won’t stop there. I believe New Orleans has the pieces to win a playoff game—or even two—behind rookie quarterback Tyler Shough and first-year head coach Kellen Moore.

Yes, really.

Let’s start with the division.

Who exactly scares you?

The Atlanta Falcons remain a mystery every season until proven otherwise.

The Carolina Panthers continue searching for consistency.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still talented, but the NFC South has become one of the league’s most unpredictable divisions.

Nobody is running away with it.

That’s exactly why New Orleans has such a legitimate opportunity.

The biggest reason?

Kellen Moore.

For years, Moore has built a reputation as one of football’s brightest offensive minds. His offenses consistently create space, attack mismatches and put quarterbacks in favorable situations.

Now he finally gets to run the entire operation.

That’s dangerous for the rest of the NFC South.

His creativity should immediately make the Saints more explosive than they’ve been in recent years. Expect more motion before the snap, quicker decisions and a more aggressive passing attack.

The offense won’t be asking Tyler Shough to play superhero football.

It won’t have to.

Instead, it will ask him to distribute the football, trust the system and let the playmakers do the rest.

That’s a recipe for success.

Shough may be a rookie, but he’s anything but inexperienced. After a winding college career that tested both his resilience and patience, he enters the NFL with more live-game experience than many first-year quarterbacks.

Sometimes maturity matters.

Sometimes simply knowing how to respond after adversity becomes a rookie’s greatest strength.

I think that’s exactly what New Orleans is getting.

And don’t underestimate confidence.

Quarterbacks often flourish when coaches fully believe in them.

Moore appears ready to build his offense around Shough instead of forcing Shough into someone else’s offense.

That’s a significant distinction.

Defensively, the Saints have long been competitive, and if they continue forcing turnovers while the offense becomes more efficient, New Orleans suddenly becomes a difficult out every Sunday.

Championship teams don’t always have the biggest stars.

Sometimes they simply have the right fit.

The Saints might have found theirs.

Every season, people search for the flashy pick.

I’m taking the overlooked one instead.

The NFC South feels wide open, and New Orleans appears better positioned than many realize.

By January, don’t be surprised if the Saints are raising another division banner.

And once the postseason begins?

Don’t be surprised if they keep marching.

This isn’t just a feel-good story.

It’s a football team with an innovative head coach, a poised young quarterback and a division begging for someone to seize control.

I believe the Saints answer that call.