Will fortune favor the 2019 Saints?

The offseason heavy lifting has mostly been done.

The New Orleans Saints signed their free agent class, drafted five players and said goodbye to center Max Unger, who announced his retirement.

Next week, the club holds its mini-camp, the final work before summer training camp.

Off-season questions are still numerous.

Can running back Latavious Murray be a solid replacement for Mark Ingram?

Will second round pick Erik McCoy fill Unger’s big shoes at center?

Can veteran free agent defensive linemen Malcolm Brown and Mario Edwards be big contributors?

Can defensive end Marcus Davenport and wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith, the club’s top two picks from 2018, make a quantum leap in year two?

However, those are not huge question marks.

All 32 NFL teams have question marks, but the Saints would appear to the football version of rich people’s problems. New Orleans returns the bulk of a talented roster that won 13 regular season games, and a second consecutive NFC South title.

There is another question pertaining to the 2019 Saints that lingers.

Based on how the season ended, on a blown call that was so bad it changed the instant replay rules in the NFL, it seems absurd to even ask the question.

But here it is.

Will the Saints have as much good fortune as they did last season?

The injury bug can derail the seasons of many Super Bowl contenders, but in that NFC championship game against the Rams, the Saints were only missing two key starters.

Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins had torn his Achilles tendon in the previous week’s playoff win over Philadelphia and tight end Ben Watson was shelved with a bout of appendicitis.

Other than missing those key starters, the Saints were relatively healthy. In a league with such a small margin for error, who isn’t and is on the injury report is a key factor.

Last September, in an appearance at the New Orleans Quarterback Club, former Saints tackle and now radio play-by-play voice Zach Strief was asked about theteam’s chances to reach the Super Bowl.

Strief said he could answer that question if you told him what the Saints starting lineup might look like in week 16.

In those 13 wins, they had some good fortune, too.

Cleveland kicker Zane Gonzalez lost his job when he missed an extra point try against the Saints that would have given his team the lead late. That was not Gonzalez’s only missed kick that day.

A missed PAT by one of the NFL’s best, Justin Tucker, was the decider in a 24-23 Saints win at Baltimore.

The Saints were trailing at Tampa Bay 14-3 in the third quarter when Taysom Hill, with a punt blocked not called, busted through the line and blocked it anyway. New Orleans scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession and went on to victory.

In Carolina, a Vonn Bell strip fumble and an AJ Klein recovery ended a drive that would have put the Panthers in commanding position when the Saints fell flat on offense.

New Orleans had their share of breaks and, as all outstanding teams do, seemed to create a bunch on their own.

Last month, Super Bowl odds were posted in the Vegas shops.

The Rams (8-1) and the Saints (9-1) were the teams in the NFC with the best odds.

The Bears, Eagles and Packers were all 14-1.

That the Saints are one of four NFL teams with odds of less than 10-1 is no surprise. They are that talented.

Still, the football Gods will still have their say. It will take a super effort for the Saints to come close to the 13 regular season wins they registered a year ago.

The Saints are very good, but will they be lucky?