NFC Playoff Picture: How can the Saints win a top-two seed, bye week?

The New Orleans Saints lost to the San Francisco 49ers but remain in the NFC playoff picture with the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks

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The New Orleans Saints couldn’t seal the deal against the San Francisco 49ers, ultimately falling short in a 48-46 boat race. That loss dropped the Saints to 10-3 on the year so far and forced a tumble in the NFC playoff picture; New Orleans went into Week 14 with a tenuous hold on the first seed, but now they’ve fallen to third.

But there’s good news: the Saints aren’t likely to fall much further. Even if the Saints lose all three of their remaining games and finish with a 10-6 record, they would still rank higher than whichever team wins the NFC East (the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles can each max out with 9-7 records), guaranteeing the third seed. Here’s what the NFC playoff picture looks like right now:

  1. San Francisco 49ers (11-2)
  2. Green Bay Packers (10-3)
  3. New Orleans Saints (10-3)
  4. Dallas Cowboys (6-7)
  5. Seattle Seahawks (10-2)
  6. Minnesota Vikings (9-4)

So it’s really a four-team race for the three top seeds, with the Saints and 49ers joined by the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers; depending on who wins the NFC West, either the 49ers or Seahawks would fall to the fifth seed, with the rival team claiming a top-three slot.

Where do we go from here? The Seahawks are scheduled to play the Los Angeles Rams on ‘Sunday Night Football,’ but each of those other teams have already finished their Week 14 games. Here’s each team’s remaining schedule in the regular season:

New Orleans Saints (10-3)

  • Week 15 vs. Indianapolis Colts (6-7)
  • Week 16 at Tennessee Titans (7-5)
  • Week 17 at Carolina Panthers (5-8)

San Francisco 49ers (11-2)

  • Week 15 vs. Atlanta Falcons (4-9)
  • Week 16 vs. Los Angeles Rams (7-5)
  • Week 17 at Seattle Seahawks (10-2)

Seattle Seahawks (10-2)

  • Week 14 at Los Angeles Rams (7-5)
  • Week 15 at Carolina Panthers (5-8)
  • Week 16 vs. Arizona Cardinals (3-8-1)
  • Week 17 vs. San Francisco 49ers (11-2)

Green Bay Packers (10-3)

  • Week 15 vs. Chicago Bears (7-6)
  • Week 16 at Minnesota Vikings (9-4)
  • Week 17 at Detroit Lions (3-9-1)

The Saints can still finish with the first seed if they win out while the other three teams each go 2-1 down the stretch. If the Saints go 2-1 in the last three weeks and the other teams follow suit, they would own the second seed. If the Saints go 1-2 or lose out, while any of the other teams win out, New Orleans reverts to the third seed. It’s all still pretty complicated, made worse by Seattle still having a game to play on Sunday.

How does this translate for Saints fans? The mission is the same as it’s ever been: root for the Saints to win, week in and week out, no matter the odds or what it means down the line.

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