Saints fans to see red in Miami during Super Bowl

If you are a fan of the New Orleans Saints, it has been tough watching the NFC playoffs the last two weeks.

If you have, you know the Saints are better than Seattle.

The Saints beat the Seahawks, in Seattle, without Drew Brees.

The Saints were clearly a better team than Minnesota. New Orleans played lousy against the Vikings and still could have won but did not get it done.

Minnesota subsequently went to San Francisco and made eight first downs in an entire game.

Philadelphia maxed out on its average potential as a team with a ton of injuries that won a horrible division.

Watching the 49ers dismantle the Packers in the first half was as hard as watching the Vikings playing a week ago.

While the Packers played better in the second half, you have to believe the Saints would have competed better at San Francisco.

I believe that the 2019 New Orleans Saints were the second best team in the NFC.

San Francisco is the best team.

The 49ers came to New Orleans and beat the Saints.

New Orleans scored 46 points against what many consider to be the best defensive front, if not the best defense in the league.

The problem is that the Saints defense gave up 48 points on that day.

We have addressed, many times, the missed opportunities by the Saints in 2011, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Heartbreak at every interval led to permanent heartache.

After watching San Francisco, it is clear that the Saints must improve their roster to have a chance to unseat the 49ers next year.

Part of that is good health up front on defense, where key players (Alex Anzalone, Marcus Davenport, Sheldon Rankins) went down.

The wide receiver position much be addressed.

It was not prior to last season and the same concerns heading into the training camp of 2019 remained at the end of the 2019 season.

The safety position much be upgraded. Late reactions and rotations, blown coverages and missed tackles became too plentiful.

You can never have enough good corners.

Meanwhile, Saints fans must suffer through watching another Super Bowl without its team, a team that clearly had a chance to make the big game.

Watching Patrick Mahomes do magical things is fun, unless you are on the other side of the equation as a player, coach or fan. He is simply amazing, the most talented quarterback in the NFL and a really good young man. No one has the team speed of the Chiefs.

Watching Jimmy Garoppolo throw just eight passes in 2020 to get his team to the Super Bowl was surreal. Six passes in this day and age? Are you serious?

He did not have to do anything else.

The one game he stepped up in was in New Orleans. That was the best he has ever played. Give him credit and put the blame on a New Orleans defense that simply failed.

Against the Saints, Garoppolo was 26-of-35 for 349 yards and four touchdowns and one interception for a passer rating of 131.7.

Facing the Packers, it was all about Raheem Mostert, a journeyman running back who had spent time with six other NFL teams and never carried the ball.

What did San Francisco see in Mostert that the Eagles, Dolphins, Ravens, Browns, Jets and Bears did not see?

If you subscribe to the mindset that you don’t draft running backs early (if at all), Mostert is your poster person.

He rushed 29 times for 240 yards and four touchdowns. The 240 rushing yards were the second most by a player in playoff history and the most in 49ers franchise history. Additionally, Mostert’s four touchdowns were the second most by an individual in any playoff game.

The game in Miami has open as a pick-em contest, either even or Kansas City favored by one point, in some betting circles.

It is a delicious matchup pitting a great offense against a great defense.

When this occurs, it usually comes down to how the other units perform, in this case, the San Francisco offense and the Kansas City defense.

I will most certainly watch it. Like Saints fans, I will watch with a jaundiced eye, wondering what might have been had the Saints gotten a bye, rested injured players or had the Saints played to their ability against the Vikings.

Watching the 49ers and Chiefs will leave everyone seeing a sea of red, particularly fans of the black and gold.