Despite what his nickname might tell you, this Honey Badger does care about Saints fans.
With their preseason over, it's almost time for the New Orleans Saints to kick off their regular season at home against the Carolina Panthers. New Orleans is looking to build off a solid finish to last season under quarterback Derek Carr and hopefully win the NFC South. Excitement is in the air, especially from recently re-signed Saints star Tyrann Mathieu, who wants to pay it forward to the fans.
Despite what his nickname might tell you, this Honey Badger does care and is giving away tickets to New Orleans' home opener against Carolina, where one fan can sit in Mathieu's suite with his family.
While attending a home opener alone is a huge deal, doing it in an NFL player's suite is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Since making the post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mathieu has received thousands of entries from excited Saints fans. While it's unknown when the giveaway ends, the New Orleans native is giving plenty of love to Who Dat Nation to kick off this upcoming NFL season.
Can the Saints make it back to the playoffs this season?
For the longest time, New Orleans considered its organizational stability a source of pride. Still, after its third consecutive season ended without a playoff berth, this offseason was marked by significant change.
The Saints fired offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, who had been with the team since 2006, and named Klint Kubiak his successor. New Orleans retained only a handful of offensive assistant coaches from the 2023 season. They also saw an exodus of veteran players, including wide receiver Michael Thomas, whose star had dimmed considerably after enduring four straight injury-plagued seasons.
The hope is that an injection of new ideas and some younger talent can reverse the Saints’ decline since Drew Brees retired following the 2020 season. However, it'll all hinge on how Kubiak, a run-first coach, can build an offense around an aging duo of Carr and Alvin Kamara. There are also significant questions about the team's offensive line heading into this season, which is concerning, considering it was also an issue last year.
New Orleans is tied for the most accessible strength of schedule in 2024. However, the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, and Kansas City Chiefs could be some of their tougher matchups and test whether the Saints can return to the playoffs. New Orleans could struggle to adapt to a new offensive system under Kubiak, but a softer start to the year could build momentum toward a late-season run.
