The New Orleans Saints will get a home visit from the Carolina Panthers in Week 12, and while they won’t officially clinch a playoff berth with the victory, they’ll be extremely close, basically solidifying the division.
With a win, the Saints will move to 9-2 while the Panthers, after a beating by the Falcon last week, would move to 5-6 with a loss. The Panthers, even with a win by Atlanta or Tampa Bay and a loss themselves, would continue as the second-best team in the NFC South.
However, four games out of first place and likely without the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Panthers could kiss away all hope of being the NFC South’s representation in the playoffs.