The season ends on Sunday afternoon with the first-ever 17th regular season game for the Atlanta Falcons. If they lose, they’ll be 7-10 and picking in the top 10 of the 2022 NFL Draft. If they win, they’ll be 8-9, will have knocked the Saints out of the playoffs, and will be picking somewhere between 10 and 16 in the draft, depending on what other teams do on Sunday.
Either way, they have to face the Saints in the season finale, which is only fitting. Both of these teams are in transition phases right now, with Atlanta trying to chart a course toward a more competitive future and the Saints trying to find their way in a post-Drew Brees world.