New Orleans Saints News: The NFC South is still wide open

New Orleans Saints News: The NFC South Is Still Wide Open

By Saints Wire Staff | October 30, 2026

The New Orleans Saints enter their Week 8 bye at 2-5, sitting in last place in the NFC South. On paper, that looks like a team already buried. But a closer look at the standings reveals a division that remains remarkably vulnerable, and a window that hasn’t fully closed.

Carolina leads the division at just 3-4 after losing to Green Bay on Thursday night. Atlanta is also 3-4, and Tampa Bay sits at 2-5 . No team in the NFC South has a winning record. It is the only division in the NFL without a team above .500. The Saints are two games back with ten games remaining, including two matchups against the Panthers and a season finale against the Buccaneers at home. The path forward, however, requires New Orleans to fix a broken offense. Through seven games, the Saints are averaging just 19.5 points per game under second-year head coach Kellen Moore, a figure that actually represents a decline from the defensive-minded Dennis Allen era. The running game has been abysmal, 17 carries for 18 yards in the Paris loss to Pittsburgh, and the offense has looked conservative and predictable. The bye week arrives at a critical juncture. With the trade deadline set for Nov. 10, General Manager Mickey Loomis faces a decision: sell off veterans for draft capital or hold steady and make a push in a winnable division. ESPN has floated trade scenarios involving guard Cesar Ruiz and wide receiver Devaughn Vele, though both present complications—Ruiz’s contract carries $22.5 million in dead money if moved before June 1.

The schedule offers reason for optimism. After the bye, New Orleans hosts Cleveland and Carolina in consecutive home games. A sweep of that stretch would vault the Saints right back into the thick of the race. The division is there for the taking, if Moore’s offense can finally find answers.