Saints News Network

Saints and the NFC Playoff Picture: Week 15

The Saints are still very much in the postseason conversation, but they're going to have keep winning in order to keep things alive.

John Hendrix

The race for the postseason is only going to heat up over the final several weeks of the regular season. The NFL Playoffs will be here before we know it, and only four teams have been eliminated from contention going into Week 15. For the Saints, they have their work cut out for them, and the main thing for Sean Payton's squad is to win above anything else.

Here's a look at the NFC Playoff race going into the weekend.

If the NFC Playoffs started today...

  1. Packers (10-3)
  2. Buccaneers (10-3)
  3. Cardinals (10-3)
  4. Cowboys (9-4)
  5. Rams (9-4)
  6. 49ers (7-6)
  7. Washington (6-7)

In the Hunt

  • Vikings (6-7)
  • Eagles (6-7)
  • Falcons (6-7)
  • Saints (6-7)
  • Panthers (5-8)
  • Seahawks (5-8)
  • Giants (4-9)
  • Bears (4-9)

Eliminated

  • Lions (1-11-1)

Relevant Seeding Explained: Eagles hold tie break over Falcons based on head-to-head win percentage. A division tie break was initially used to eliminate New Orleans (Atlanta wins tie break over New Orleans based on head-to-head win percentage).

Matchups to watch: For starters, the Bucs and Saints play on Sunday Night Football, and Tampa has a chance to make the playoffs and win the NFC South. We're mainly worried about the teams ahead of the Saints, so the 49ers host the Falcons, while the Eagles host Washington and things close out with the Bears hosting the Vikings.

Early Kick: WFT (6-7) at Eagles (6-7)
Late Kick: Falcons (6-7) at 49ers (7-6)
MNF: Vikings (6-7) at Bears (4-9)

Most importantly, the Saints have to win, but if Washington and San Francisco win as well, that only helps New Orleans. At this stage, any record tie with the Eagles or Falcons is not good for the team. However, the tie-breaking formula is complex and not always the same each week.

Read More Saints News

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