Saints News Network

Saints and the NFC Playoff Picture: Week 15

The Saints are in the playoffs and lost out their top spot, but a win would help them wrap up the NFC South on Sunday.

John Hendrix

The Saints became the first team to clinch a playoff spot in the NFL after what happened on Sunday. They took care of their own business, while getting a needed Bears loss to stamp their ticket for the postseason. The Chiefs also joined them after their win over the Broncos. Here's how the latest NFC playoff picture shapes out.

If the NFC Playoffs started today...

  1. Packers (10-3)
  2. Saints (10-3)
  3. Rams (9-4)
  4. Washington Football Team (6-7)
  5. Seahawks (9-4)
  6. Bucs (8-5)
  7. Cardinals (7-6)

In the Hunt

  • Vikings (6-7)
  • Bears (6-7)
  • Lions (5-8)
  • 49ers (5-8)
  • Giants (5-8)
  • Eagles (4-8-1)
  • Cowboys (4-9)
  • Panthers (4-9)

Eliminated

  • Falcons (4-9)

Matchups to watch: The Packers host the Panthers as part of two games on Saturday, with them being the night matchup. The Seahawks travel to take on the Football Team for a noon kickoff on Sunday, while the Rams host the Jets as one of the afternoon kickoffs. Meanwhile, the Falcons host the Bucs, which has some importance. 

How the Saints can clinch the NFC South

  1. NO win
  2. TB loss
  3. NO tie + TB tie

With the loss to the Eagles last week, the Saints lost the top seed in the conference and failed to wrap up the division. That is still very much in play this weekend, but it comes as a tougher task with the Chiefs coming to town. If the playoff started today, the Saints would host the Cardinals as part of Wild Card Weekend.

Published
John Hendrix
JOHN HENDRIX

I officially started covering the New Orleans Saints & other NFL topics in 2011. My work has been featured on various outlets over the years. I worked closely with Skyhorse Publishing in Fall 2018 to update the book, Tales From the New Orleans Saints Sidelines, which filled in all Saints material from the 2013-2017 seasons. Prior to joining Saints News Network, I served as the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for 3.5 years, and before that with FanSided's Who Dat Dish as the Managing Editor for several years. I have also had experiences of being a freelance Saints reporter for The Sun Herald in Biloxi, MS and a contributing writer for WDSU, a local NBC TV station in New Orleans. I have appeared on a vast amount of TV and Radio shows, both nationally and locally. For tips, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at johnhendrix@saintsnews.net