Dattitude with Jim Derry

Their week off is over, and the New Orleans Saints have their most important game to date right in front of them, as they travel to Atlanta to face their most heated rival. Can they defeat the Falcons and move two games ahead of them in the NFC South standings with six games to go? Or will it be more of the same old, same old? That's what Jim Derry and The Athletic's Larry Holder will be talking about on Wednesday's "Thanksgiving Eve" Dattitude Podcast (Ep. 191). Later, Jim reads off the Best Bets for he and Uncle Big Nick for Week 12 in the NFL and the penultimate weekend of college football.

It has not been the season – thus far – that fans of the New Orleans Saints have expected. However, is it the one we all should have seen coming? It is time to go through and give our midseason grades for the team. We have a special Wednesday Dattitude Podcast (Ep. 190) to dish out the reality, and host Jim Derry brought in Larry Holder from his regular Friday spot. What do we give the offense? The defense? And yes, we even grade the coaching and the overall team. To finish the show, Uncle Big Nick is here a day early to share the best bets of the week in the NFL and for college football. (Jim is trying to get a rare bad taste out of his mouth from last week, while UBN has a chance to gloat.)

Oh, so that's why so many of you have chosen to be a "glass half-empty" kind of Saints fan this year? Following a 27-19 loss to the mediocre Minnesota Vikings, it is clear this team is incapable of carrying on good cheer into the holiday season. Derry (Downer)'s Dime exposes that on Monday's Dattitude, Ep. 189.

One could make an argument facing the Minnesota Vikings is the biggest game of the season for the New Orleans Saints, as they head into their bye week looking for their first three-game win streak of 2023.

Can the offense continue their momentum? Can the defense tighten up and play well from the start against the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week, Joshua Dobbs, who just made his way to Minneapolis about 10 days ago? Will the Saints get to two games above .500 for the first time this late in a season since Drew Brees’ final campaign?

These are the top topics of conversation for Friday’s Dattitude Podcast (Ep. 188), as The Athletic’s Larry Holder joins host Jim Derry. The duo also will go through the marquee matchups in the NFL for Week 10 and offer their predictions.

Two weeks ago, Dattitude Podcast host Jim Derry was a little hot under the collar and asking “Is this team any different than the one we expected to see in the preseason?” Today, he’s asking the same question with a completely different tone. Why? That is one of the themes of Thursday’s Ep. 187. It’s also time to reveal the best bets of the week for Jim (who is at 60-percent correct for the year against the spread) and Uncle Big Nick, who is on the same roller coaster the Saints have been riding.

The New Orleans Saints are 5-4, on top of the NFC South by a full game and are the clear favorites to win the division. So why all the pouting, crying and moaning from both the local media and the Who Dat Nation? The two main areas of concern - the coaching staff and the offensive line - clearly have been better the past 2-plus weeks, and Jim Derry in his 'Dime' says to enjoy it while it lasts on Ep. 186.

For the first time in a month, the New Orleans Saints sit atop the NFC South. In trying to stay there, they now have to deal with the Chicago Bears, who have struggled this season and will come to the Caesars Superdome without their dynamic quarterback, Justin Fields, behind center.

How will the Saints play as an 8.5-point favorite - the largest favorite they have been in the Dennis Allen era? Jim Derry and The Athletic's Larry Holder talk about it Friday morning on Ep. 185. They'll also touch on Week 9 in the NFL and give a prediction for LSU-Bama.

As the college football season enters its final month of the regular season, we have hit the midway point of the NFL season. And with it being Thursday, Jim Derry and Uncle Big Nick look to stay in the green with their best bets of the week, that include UBN's parlay on the LSU-Alabama game and Jim's top plays in the NFL on Ep. 184.

For the third straight week, the New Orleans Saints offense posted more than 400 yards. However, this time, it was in a 38-27 decisive victory over the Indianapolis Colts. What was right about this one? Is it something we can expect in the future? Are the Derek Carr haters gone, or are they just hibernating for a bit on their holes? We get into all of the above on 'Derry's Dime' during Monday's Dattitude Podcast (Ep. 183).

After a 2-0 start, the New Orleans Saints have lost four of their past five games and are in danger of falling to two games below .500, as they head to Indianapolis to face the Colts on Sunday. Is this a must-win game, and can this roller-coaster season begin to head back in a positive direction? Is this a rerun of 2022? We dissect it all on Friday (Oct. 27) on Ep. 182, as WWL-TV sports director Doug Mouton joins Jim Derry. The duo also talk a little about LSU's upcoming meeting with Alabama and the NFL Week 8 slate.