The place to focus on this week is Down South, as in NFC South.
All three contenders in the NFL's best division have difficult matchups Sunday, two of them facing off when top dogs Carolina and New Orleans go at it in the Big Easy. Atlanta, meanwhile, hosts NFC North leader Minnesota.
The Panthers and Saints are 8-3, and New Orleans has a win in Charlotte. So a season's sweep by Drew Brees & Co. would make for a tidy tiebreaker.
"The fact is we play in a really tough division and there are a lot tough teams sitting at the top fighting for that spot, and we are all within a game of each other," Brees says.