The New Orleans Saints are now 5-9 on the season and the hopes of securing a playoff berth have become very slim. Although there’s still a chance, the path has become difficult, needing a lot of help from a couple of division rivals in order to punch their ticket.
With that said, many will be focused on offseason preparation and where the team could or might be picking in the round one in April. At the moment sitting with the tenth pick, there’s the potential for the team to move even higher, depending on how the next three weeks shake out.
Whichever way you may want it to go, either choice is understandable. For this exact reason, we’ve chosen to continue our breakdown of what teams you should be rooting for in Week 16 depending on the direction you would like to see the Saints go in. Here’s our rundown:
Path to the playoffs
The Saints path to the postseason has now narrowed down to one highly unlikely scenario, that would crown them champions of the NFC South for the first time in three seasons. Their path to attaining a Wild Card position has diminished which means that these three divisional games are the ones to keep an eye on this weekend and into Monday Night:
New York Giants at Atlanta Falcons:
The Atlanta Falcons simply must lose this weekend to keep the Saints chances alive. A win against the Giants this week would effectively eliminate the Saints regardless of what happens with Atlanta in the next few weeks. With that said, rookie Michael Penix Jr. is set to start this weekend which means anything could happen being that this is his first opportunity on the big stage.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers must lose against the Dallas Cowboys or the same would result in this case. A win by Tampa in Dallas would eliminate the Saints from contention giving them at nine wins on the year, a number the Saints cannot reach.
Improving upon draft stock
With such slim playoff hopes at this point in the season, the outlook on where the Saints will be picking in round one of the draft, becomes a more intriguing conversation. There are currently nine teams ahead of the Saints in the draft order but only seven of those teams can improve their stock. Here are a list of those teams, their opponents this week and the most optimal outcomes:
Carolina defeats Arizona
The Panthers are two games back (3-11) from where the Saints stand in the division, meaning that with three games to go they could potentially jump them at seasons end. A win against Arizona and a Saints loss brings them one step closer to that.
Cleveland defeats Cincinnati
The same goes here for Cleveland as they sit at 3-11, but have an uphill battle going against some of the leagues most explosive offenses in the next three weeks in Cincinnati, Miami and Baltimore. Hard to see them assisting the Saints with this stretch of games.
Jacksonville defeats Las Vegas
Jacksonville, another 3-11 team but has a much lighter schedule going forward, playing teams with a combined record of 11-31 in their last three matchups. Beating Las Vegas sets them up well for a late season run.
Tennessee defeats Indianapolis
Tennessee (3-11) has their entire division ahead of them going forward with games against Indy, Jacksonville and Houston. The Titans have lost their last three matchups against the Colts, all in which were one possession games. Some added motivation for them potentially this late in the year.
New England defeats Buffalo
The Patriots (3-11) have little chance to help the Saints this week and going forward, meeting the Bills (11-3) twice in three weeks and playing the Los Angeles Chargers (9-6) in between. But you never know, division games can get a little weird.
Chicago defeats Detroit
Maybe the toughest one on the list here so far. The Bears are sitting at 4-10 in the NFC North just one game behind the Saints but happen to be facing the leaders’ of their division as well as the leaders’ of their conference in the Detroit Lions (12-2). Defeating the Lions is the tallest task but they’re in for one heck of a stretch, taking on Seattle (8-6) and Green Bay (10-4) in the coming weeks.
New York defeats Los Angeles
The Jets are also just one game back from the Saints but also face the tough task of playing a couple of the leagues hottest teams. The team will see Los Angeles, Buffalo and Miami to finish out the year. Although the team has emphatically underperformed, they do have the talent to stay competitive against these opponents.
