NFC Playoff Picture Impact: Your Week 14 Cheering Guide

The New Orleans Saints sit atop the NFC in the current standings. How might the Week 14 slate of games shake up the playoff picture?

It’s somewhat uncommon for diehard fans to cheer for any team other than their own to prevail in a given week. Sure, any time any non-NFC South team is playing the Panthers, or Falcons, or even the Buccaneers, they get a cursory nod of approval. Well, it’s early December and for the time being, the Saints are perched atop the NFC in contention for the #1 seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

NFL Week 14 Playoff Picture from http://www.nfl.com/playoffs/playoff-picture

Alas, much can change in the span of a weekend and there are some important, or otherwise interesting, scores for Saints fans to follow in determining how the NFC playoff picture will more clearly come to fruition. 

Thursday, December 5: Dallas Cowboys @ Chicago Bears 

This week’s Thursday night game is an NFC showdown between two playoff hopefuls. The Cowboys, coming off a 2 game losing streak, are reeling from a home beat down at the hands of a surprisingly potent Buffalo Bills team. Head coach Jason Garrett is almost certainly on the hot seat, and a win against the Bears in the Windy City would be huge for the Cowboys and their coach. While the Cowboys are currently leading the NFC East (6-6) and own the head-to-head tiebreaker with the division rival Philadelphia Eagles (5-7), they’ll be itching to create some buffer between themselves and the rest of their division in hopes of winning the NFC East crown and getting a spot in the postseason. 

The Bears, while playing down relative to last season’s lofty regular season performance, are on a 2 game winning streak. They’re third in a highly competitive NFC North and are the projected #8 seed.  Given the logjam of teams vying for a postseason berth, this game is a must win for the Monsters of the Midway. 

Nov 28, 2019; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson (12) attempts to catch a ball during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Implications? The Saints enjoy a sizeable lead in the standings over either of these teams, so the outcome of this one is of little consequence to postseason positioning.  If ever that were a consideration, it’s worthwhile to highlight that the Saints have met and bested both of these squads this season, so they own any potential head-to-head tiebreaker scenarios. 

Who do we want to win? It’s basically a flip of a coin. The Bears winning has the added effect of beating the Cowboys (which we can all agree would be a nice outcome) and making the fellow playoff aspirational Los Angeles Rams squirm.  Pick whoever you please–the Saints have bigger fish to fry. 

Sunday, December 8: Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings 

Coming off a rousing, but ultimately failed, prime time battle against the current #2 seed Seattle Seahawks, the Vikings (8-4) return to Minneapolis for a divisional game against the Detroit Lions (3-8-1).  While the Lions are not realistically competing for anything at this point in the season, this is somewhat of a rivalry game that the Vikings would really rather not lose.  Given that these two teams are meeting in Minnesota and under the current circumstances, it would be surprising for the Lions to pull the upset.  Alas, this is a divisional game and therefore divisional shenanigans are always a possibility. 

Dec 2, 2019; Seattle, WA, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (33) carries the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Implications?  Winning at home would allow the current #6 seed Vikings to keep pace for the last Wild Card berth and on the tail of current division lead Green Bay.  The Vikings losing would compel a virtual rat race for the middle-tier of NFC playoff hopefuls, leaving the door ajar for the Rams, Bears, and even potentially the Buccaneers and Panthers. 

Who do we want to win?  Sure, as Saints fans we never want to give even the slightest glimmer of hope to our divisional friends in the form of keeping the Panthers alive, but in picking an outcome, the less likely result is the favorable one here.  The Vikings are within sniffing distance of contending for the NFC North crown and still pose an existential threat to the Saints supremacy in the NFC.  The Lions winning helps to widen the gap a bit between the Saints and the Vikings. 

Sunday, December 8: Washington Redskins @ Green Bay Packers 

Much like the Vikings, the Packers (9-3) are playing what might be a very significant game against the Redskins (3-9) at Lambeau this weekend.  The Packers rebounded nicely in the snow against an underwhelming New York Giants team a week removed from being absolutely drubbed in Santa Clara against the San Francisco 49ers.  Given how top heavy the NFC is this year, there is not a lot of room for the Packers to cede if they want to have a good chance at the Lombardi this season.  At this stage in the season, the Redskins are hardly contending for much (though they technically are still “alive”), so it remains to be seen the amount of gusto they will bring to this game. 

Dec 1, 2019; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) breaks free from the grasp of New York Giants linebacker Lorenzo Carter (59) to throw a fourth quarter TD pass at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Implications?  There are a few important potential stories to monitor in parallel with the Saints pivotal match as they are both early games.  If the Saints lose to the 49ers and the Packers win, Green Bay will become the #2 seed behind the #1 seed 49ers.  SF fans everywhere will then keep an eye on the Seahawks-Rams game that evening, because if Seattle wins, they would then take the #1 seed.  If the Packers should lose and the Saints also lose, then New Orleans would be the #2 seed regardless of Seattle’s outcome. 

Who do we want to win?  You may have noticed a trend here–Down with the best (not named “Saints”) teams.  In what is sure to be a very consequential game against the 49ers this weekend, the Packers losing to the Redskins can only be a good thing for Saints fans. 

Sunday, December 8: San Francisco 49ers @ New Orleans Saints 

I really don’t know that this needs to be written, nor that this summary for this game requires much more exposition than to say that this is far and away the most important game for Saints fans all season. It’s a late season matchup between two juggernauts competing for a first round bye and home field advantage throughout January.  The Saints are 10-2, as are the 49ers.  The winner of this one, at least for the time being, lays claim to the NFC throne. 

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Implications? The Saints are currently the #1 seed in the NFC and as such, control their own destiny. Win and you remain the #1 seed.  Pretty simple.  Things can get a tad dicey though if the Saints drop this game in the Big Easy.  As alluded to above, if the Saints lose and the Packers win, New Orleans becomes the #3 seed and loses its first round bye as of this week.  Not to say neither of these things can be reclaimed with 3 additional weeks to spare, but why take the risk?  Just go out there and win. 

Who do we want to win?  Assuming you are reading this story on Saints News Network, this question in this block is entirely rhetorical.  Geaux Saints. 

Sunday, December 8th:  Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles Rams 

The last game of any real consequence in the NFC playoff race Week 14 is the prime time Sunday Night divisional showdown between the Seahawks (10-2) and the Rams (7-5). For the sake of this article, we’ll discuss the Philadelphia Eagles (5-7) next week if they beat the New York Giants (2-10) on Monday Night Football. For Seattle and LA fans, this game is huge. 

November 17, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) and linebacker Obo Okoronkwo (45) celebrate after a sack against Chicago Bears quarterback Chase Daniel (4) during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Implications? If Seattle wins, they will have a tentative grip on a first-round bye, pushing the 49ers to the #5 seed Wild Card spot. Seahawks fans will definitely root for the Saints to lose, though, because winning would give them a hold of the #1 seed. Should they win and the Saints also win, the Seahawks will be the #2 seed for this week. 

The Rams, meanwhile, have a lot on the line playing at home in this one.  To get a hold of the last Wild Card spot in the NFC, LA fans will want to see the Lions prevail in Minnesota, and also that the Rams take down a formidable opponent in the Seahawks.  Only under this specific scenario in Week 14 can the Rams edge their win into the postseason conversation. 

Who do we want to win?  If the Saints should fall to the 49ers this weekend, the outcome of this game will determine the then-current #1 seed in the NFC.  That is, the Saints could fall as far as the #3 seed this weekend (pending the outcome of the Packers game, especially), and it’s really just a lot of jockeying within the NFC West for playoff considerations. Let’s make all of that moot for the time being, though. If the Saints win, the Seahawks are the #2 seed and the 49ers are the #5 seed – regardless of any other outcomes.