NEW ORLEANS -- It would be a stretch to suggest that the New Orleans Saints need to finish 8-8 or 7-9 to keep the franchise from trading coach Sean Payton or quarterback Drew Brees in the offseason.

But it certainly wouldn't hurt for this team to finish strong and feel like it's heading in the right direction after a 2015 overhaul in which there were major changes to the roster, the coaching staff and the scouting department.

"[Winning] validates many of the things that you've kind of instituted this year in order to build the foundation again with a new crop of players," Brees said of a team that began the season with more than 20 new players, including 11 rookies and four other first-year players.

The Saints (5-8) were officially eliminated from playoff contention Sunday. They also failed to make the cut last year, making this the first time they have missed the playoffs in consecutive years since 2007-08.

That means they'll have to rely on plain old pride and competitiveness from here on out -- starting with a national showcase game on Monday Night Football against the Detroit Lions (4-9).

Brees said he also believes this final month can be a springboard toward the future.

The Saints put a huge emphasis on improving the character and culture in the locker room this year after it became such a problem in 2014, and the team is also trying to get younger and rebuild the defense and offensive line.

"There's a lot of new faces this year, and you know the mindset in regards to building this team with great character and great leadership and young talent that we can mold and that fits into what we're trying to do," Brees said. "So when you have success, that just validates everything that you're teaching, everything that you're coaching and the direction that you're going.

"And, man, you just feel so much better when you have success."

There has been more speculation than ever this year about whether the Saints might consider moving on from both Payton and Brees after that pair's historic, 10-year run in New Orleans.

But as I've written previously, I think they would be foolish to consider trading Brees until they have a strong Plan B in place. And there are still way too many what-ifs for the team to seriously consider the idea of Payton leaving. How much would the Saints require in compensation to let Payton go with two years left on his contract? Would another team be willing to pay that price? And would it be a team Payton actually wants to coach?

Perhaps Payton might consider moving on. But it would take an awfully good situation to pry him away from New Orleans, where he has about as much power and influence as any coach in the NFL -- and where he has genuinely been energized by this year's youth movement.

Payton talked again this week about how fired up he was to see the attitude and work ethic of players both on the field and on the sideline as they snapped a four-game losing streak with a 24-17 victory at Tampa Bay.

A week earlier, the Saints came within a hair of beating the undefeated Carolina Panthers in a 41-38 thriller.

"You get enough of [the right] guys, then all of a sudden you turn the corner, and we've seen it happen before," said Payton, who described the locker room culture as "entirely different than last season."

Brees and other players have talked the same way all year.

"Despite the disappointment that we all have for not being in the position that we want to be in, I'm very proud of our guys and the way that they've continued to come in each week with a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of positivity and ready to work," Brees said. "I don't feel like anybody's here just because it's their job. Guys want to be great at what they're doing. And I feel like we're building something unique here."

Payton has talked about the Saints' winning culture of the past decade and the importance of not allowing that to slip away in seasons like these.

Nobody in the Saints' locker room is on board with a popular fan theory that they should lose games to secure a better draft pick.

Safety Jairus Byrd said players never think that way, especially because their own futures are so uncertain from year to year. Running back Tim Hightower said losing can be "contagious," according to NOLA.com.

Brees said the opposite can also be true. One of the big messages that resonated with players was that, as coaches pointed out, the Panthers were 3-8-1 last year at the beginning of December -- and haven't lost in the regular season since.

"Our job is to win," Brees said. "In order to be successful in this league, you gotta have confidence. Confidence is gained from demonstrated ability. ... And the more confidence you gain, that will carry on with you for your whole career.

"Who knows, over these next three games, there might be that [turning point] moment for a guy, because he's battling his butt off to help us try to win. And all of a sudden, he becomes the player that he always dreamed of being, and it's gonna help us win a championship someday based upon these last three games.

"So that's why [this month is important]."