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The New Orleans Saints have the opportunity to clinch their third consecutive NFC South divisional title on Thursday with a victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thanksgiving Day. Securing that division crown would put the Saints out of reach of the Carolina Panthers, their next-closest rival in the standings.
The NFC South was founded in 2002 after the NFL expanded to 32 teams, and then subsequently realigned the divisions. Since the inception of the division over 17 seasons ago, it has sent all four of its teams to the Super Bowl, and produced two Super Bowl champions. The Saints have been the winningest team within the division.
With a win on Thanksgiving, New Orleans can add their name to another accolade: winning the division title three years in a row. Only the Panthers have accomplished this feat before, having done so from 2013 to 2015. Before they did that, no team had ever won consecutive division championships. While Carolina has been the only team to win three NFC South titles in a row, the Saints now have the opportunity to join them, barring a historic collapse.
However, that kind of miracle should not be expected by the Panthers or their fans on Thursday. An angry New Orleans side will be looking for revenge after an embarrassing 26-9 beating they took in Week 10. On top of the added motivation, the Saints play very well on Thanksgiving Day as evidenced by their 2-0 record.
All signs point towards New Orleans having a monster of a game, especially if cornerback Marshon Lattimore can return to the mix. Expect the Saints to add another NFC South title to their resume, while making it a record-tying three-in-a-row for the current champions.
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