Whew: it was a little too close for comfort, but the New Orleans Saints got some much-needed help from the Pittsburgh Steelers, keeping them alive in the crowded NFC playoff race. The Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon which created a ripple effect felt throughout the NFC.
For the Saints, it means there are still two paths open to clinching a playoff berth next week. But one option is much simpler than the other, even if neither of them are easy. Let’s tackle the complicated one first.
Because the Seahawks lost and fell to 8-8, a loss in Week 18 (to the Arizona Cardinals) would knock them out of playoff contention altogether. If the Saints catch a couple of other breaks, they’ll win the NFC’s seventh playoff seed. But that would mean whichever team wins on Sunday night — the Green Bay Packers or Minnesota Vikings — would have to lose in the following week. Green Bay hosts the Chicago Bears, while the Vikings will visit the Detroit Lions. So that’s at least two other games the Saints will need to be watching whenever they kick off themselves.
And that brings us to the clearest path forward. The Saints must beat the Atlanta Falcons in their own regular season finale and hope for a Carolina Panthers win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which would clinch an NFC South title and the playoff berth that comes with it. If the Buccaneers take care of business (and they should, against a lowly Panthers team) then the Saints are stuck praying on the downfall for the Seahawks and Packers or Vikings (which we’ll find out later Sunday evening).
That’s what losing games in Green Bay and Minnesota earlier this year costs you. If the Saints had won either of those matchups they wouldn’t be in this position. But it is what it is, and they’ll just need to keep focusing on what they can control to try and salvage something from this season.
