The Saints’ offense lit up the Superdome on Saturday night against the Lions, but to get to the Super Bowl the Saints will have to win outdoors at San Francisco next week, and probably at Green Bay the week after that. So will the Saints struggle in the elements?
Drew Brees says no way: New Orleans isn’t just a dome team.
“I feel like our offense and our team is built for whatever condition,” Brees said after Saturday night’s game. “We feel like we’re the type of team that should be able to go anywhere, anytime, and play our type of football.”
The Saints went 3-2 outdoors during the regular season, winning at Jacksonville, Carolina and Tennessee, and losing at Green Bay and at Tampa Bay. Inside, the Saints have gone 11-1, winning their nine home games and at Minnesota and Atlanta, and losing in by far their worst performance of the season at St. Louis.
The 49ers have the best defense the Saints have faced, so if the Saints’ offense is slowed down on Saturday, that will have more to do with the 49ers’ personnel than with their outdoor field. The biggest challenge ahead for the Saints isn’t playing outdoors, it’s needing to beat two good teams before they can get back inside at the Super Bowl.