Yikes. The New Orleans Saints came out of their bye week and took a loss to the Atlanta Falcons which didn’t just shuffle the NFC South standings — it also dropped the Saints down past several conference rivals in the NFL playoff picture.
Here is how the Saints stack up among their peers:
1
Philadelphia Eagles (10-1)
The Eagles are the best team in the league and their record reflects it. If the playoffs started today they’d watch the first round from home on their bye week.
2
San Francisco 49ers (8-3)
The 49ers have a better conference win percentage than the Detroit Lions, so they’re the second seed. This might be their year if they can stay healthy.
3
Detroit Lions (8-3)
The Lions look vulnerable after a couple of tough losses and narrow wins, but they’re still a challenging team to defend. The Saints will face them in Week 13.
4
Atlanta Falcons (5-6)
The Falcons overtook the Saints and currently lead the NFC South thanks to their head-to-head win over New Orleans. Their reward would be a home playoff game against the 8-3 Dallas Cowboys.
5
Dallas Cowboys (8-3)
The Cowboys have the league’s best offense and a defense playing with a ton of confidence. They’re going to be a problem in the postseason.
6
Seattle Seahawks (6-5)
The Seahawks are as unpredictable as ever, but they feel like a team that’s lucky to own a winning record this late in the year. They can be beaten.
7
Minnesota Vikings (6-6)
Joshua Dobbs fell back to Earth on Monday night against the Chicago Bears. Minnesota’s head-to-head win over the Saints looms large.
8
Green Bay Packers (5-6)
Green Bay pulled off an upset in Detroit, but they’ll need to win out to clinch a playoff seed. This is another winnable game the Saints let get away from them earlier this year.
9
Los Angeles Rams (5-6)
The Saints and Rams will meet in a few weeks to help clarify the playoff picture, but L.A. is playing really good football and their stronger conference record gives them an edge over New Orleans in the NFC playoff standings.
10
New Orleans Saints (5-6)
The Saints are long shots to make the playoffs, but a weak schedule keeps them alive. So long as they have a shot at winning the NFC South, they’ll be in the hunt.
