Saints still in it!

So halfway through the season, the Saints stand at 6-3 and are a half-game out of first place in the NFC South. That's not a bad position in which to be...

Sure, it pales in comparison to last year's 8-0 start, but consider this: The Saints have enjoyed only seven better records at the halfway point in their history.

Of the 10 times the Saints have been 5-3 or better at midseason, they've made the playoffs six times.

So they're still in position to fulfill their goals of repeating.

The first half of the season has been a puzzle. There have been confounding losses to the Cardinals and Browns. And there have been impressive wins against the Steelers and Bucs.

It hasn't always been pretty. The blowouts and jaw-dropping offensive fireworks of 2009 appear to be long gone. This season is a different journey, a greater challenge.

At this time last season, the Saints, Colts and Vikings had distanced themselves from the rest of the league. That's not the case this season, where no team is unbeaten and two-thirds of the league has between two and four losses.

Yet, while the means might differ, the end remains the same. Another Super Bowl run is well within the Saints' grasp.

The next six weeks are critical. The combined record of the Saints' next five opponents is 12-24. The only opponent with a winning record in that span is 4-3 Seattle, and they must make a cross-country trip to New Orleans.

Go Saints!!