Timing of Sean Payton visit has Saints fans connecting dots on Raiders gameplan

Sean Payton visited the Saints facilities last week, and they followed that up with a shutout of the Raiders. The timing is notable.

There were plenty of jokes made that the New Orleans Saints decided to dress up as the late-2010s Saints for Halloween in Week 8. That tracks, as they held the Las Vegas Raiders to a goose egg and put up 24 points. It sure looked like Sean Payton, not Dennis Allen, was coaching the team, considering the Saints have struggled mightily, putting up just 2 wins heading into Sunday’s game.

And while Allen and the team deserve credit for what they were able to do in Week 8, you have to look at the timing of a recent visit and wonder…

Did Sean Payton have anything to do with this?

Sean Payton visited New Orleans Saints facility ahead of Week 8 smashing of Raiders

Early on in Week 8, Sean Payton stopped by. Sure it was, “just visiting,” but you really think he didn’t talk shop with Allen, Pete Carmichael, the rest of the coaching staff, and maybe even some key players?

No, Sean Payton did not draw up the game plan for Week 8, but it’s definitely possible that he had something to do with the way the execution looked on Sunday afternoon. Consider his visit part catching up, part consultation, probably.

He has worked with Allen, Carmichael, Alvin Kamara, and Taysom Hill for several years, and each of them had a significant part to do with the huge needed win on Sunday. There’s no need for pleasantries when you have that kind of a relationship, you can jump right into the meaty stuff.

On Sunday, Kamara led the team in rushing and receiving, with three total touchdowns. Taysom was right behind Kamara’s 62 yards with 61 of his own. Allen and Carmichael’s game plan enabled this, and the players fit right in.

Pete Werner, who was all over the field with 7 tackles, also played a season under Payton in 2021.

There are coincidences, and on the other end of the spectrum, you have events that can be directly tied in causation to other events. Sean Payton’s visit and the Saints’ impressive Week 8 win stands somewhere in the middle.