This season has been a nightmare for the New Orleans Saints. Several key players have suffered significant injuries that sidelined them for weeks at a time, the team lost seven straight games, and Dennis Allen was fired as head coach after Week 9. Despite all of that, the Saints are entering Week 15 with a 5-8 record, and a somewhat realistic path to the postseason.
The Saints, of course, don’t control their own destiny, and realistic is a subjective term when it comes to sports. Realistic in this case is a set of results that wouldn’t be entirely shocking if they happened. Let’s take a look at the set of outcomes that would sneak New Orleans into the playoffs.
As the league prepares for the start of Week 15, only five teams have officially been eliminated from playoff contention, and even fewer teams (4) have already clinched a playoff spot. Everything else will be decided in the next four weeks.
The reason the Saints are still alive is that the NFC South has struggled. If New Orleans fans had only paid attention to the team’s struggles, it’d be hard to believe the team is only two games back of the division lead. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lead the group at 7-6, the Atlanta Falcons are second at 6-7, and the Saints are next at 5-8.
The clearest path to the playoffs is always winning the division, and New Orleans can still do that. Of course, everything starts with the Saints winning out against the Washington Commanders, Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Buccaneers. If the team can accomplish that, New Orleans will finish the regular season with a 9-8 record.
The next step is needing the Bucs and Falcons to stumble a couple of times down the stretch of the season. Atlanta is currently tumbling down hill, losing its last four games. However, the Falcons finish the season with games against the Raiders, New York Giants, Commanders, and Panthers. While that’s a really easy schedule on paper, nothing has been easy for Atlanta as of late.
The Buccaneers, on the other hand, have won their last three games, including a miraculous escape in an overtime against Carolina. Tampa Bay ends its season with games against the Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Panthers, and Saints. New Orleans can had the Bucs one loss, and hope Tampa Bay drops one or two more.
That all brings it back to the idea of what’s realistic. Anyone who has watched the Falcons and Buccaneers this season would argue both teams dropping at least two games in the final four is pretty realistic, regardless of the opponents.
The toughest part of the entire equation is New Orleans winning out. The Saints could definitely win their final four games, but there probably isn’t much optimism amongst fans that’ll actually happen— especially since Derek Carr is sidelined. So while there is technically a path to the playoffs, fans are more focused on where the Saints will pick in the draft.
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