Heading into Sunday’s matchup with the 4-11 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there were about a dozen scenarios that could have played out for the Saints that would have determined their playoff seeding and their opponent for round one of the NFL playoffs. However, one scenario was clear, the 11-win Saints had no shot at the No. 2 seed and would be playing in the Wild Card round. The Saints were either going to fall into one of three possible landing spots; the 3rd, 4th, or 5th Seed in the NFC playoffs, with the worst-case scenario meaning they would not host a playoff game.
A Saints loss and Falcons win opens a clearer path to the NFC Championship game for New Orleans.
