This was expected, but that doesn’t make it any less disappointing. The New Orleans Saints won an unprecedented four consecutive NFC South titles from 2017 to 2020, but that streak came to an end Sunday afternoon when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers to secure their first division championship in 14 years.
It’s Tampa Bay’s fourth NFC South banner in the 20 years the division has existed, tying the Atlanta Falcons for the fewest titles. Carolina has five, and the Saints own the most with seven. All they needed to accomplish this was for a pandemic to depress the salary cap and restrict the Saints’ spending plans while sidelining dozens of players over the course of their first post-Drew Brees season.
So now the Saints are playing for second-place in the NFC South and a wild-card seed, with next to no chance of a home playoff game. They badly need a win on Monday night to keep up the pace in the crowded NFC playoff picture; their 7-7 record prior to kickoff with the Miami Dolphins clocks in as the eighth seed, just behind the 8-7 San Francisco 49ers (sixth) and 8-7 Philadelphia Eagles (seventh), but ahead of the 7-8 Minnesota Vikings (ninth) and 7-8 Atlanta Falcons (tenth).
The stakes couldn’t be higher, which makes the 20-plus absences the Saints are dealing with due to a COVID-19 outbreak even more daunting to overcome. Let’s see if Sean Payton’s team can find a way to win in a big spot.
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