The Saints entered the playoffs having bounced back from a tough, unexpected loss at home against the Cowboys in Week 13. They won three of their final four contests to capture the number one seed in the NFC, ultimately labeling themselves as one of the frontrunners for the Super Bowl LIII title.
New Orleans was able to narrowly escape the defending champion Eagles in the Divisional round, thus setting up a date with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game. Sean Payton and company came into the highly-anticipated clash as reasonable favorites (-3.5 at kickoff), and appeared to be in good position late in the game.