NFC Playoff Picture: How the Saints can win the first seed, homefield advantage

The San Francisco 49ers lost to the Atlanta Falcons, opening the door for the New Orleans Saints to win home-field advantage in the playoffs

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The San Francisco 49ers held the first seed for just a week before they choked, somehow losing to the Atlanta Falcons only a week after they beat the New Orleans Saints. That big mistake cost them in the NFC playoff seedings, dropping them from the first seed to the fifth.

It also opens the door a little wider for the Saints to march back to the top of the standings. Right now, the Saints are the third seed. They’re in a race for a top two seed with the 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and Green Bay Packers, though the Saints are guaranteed to finish no worse than third.

So how can the Saints get that coveted first seed? Even if they win all three of their remaining games, they’ll need some help to get it.

Let’s run through it one team at a time. The Packers have two games left on their schedule, and have to lose one of them for the Saints to overtake them. They’re visiting the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions in the final two weeks, and could very well lose that Vikings game considering how well Minnesota has been playing lately.

Next up, the 49ers: they need to win both of their remaining game to stick around in the race for a top-two seed. If they lose another game, they’re guaranteed to remain a wild-card team. Their season-finale is against the Seahawks in Seattle, so that game carries all kinds of implications — unless they lose next week to the Los Angeles Rams at home, in which case it doesn’t matter at all as far as the Saints are concerned. New Orleans owns a head-to-head tiebreaker over Seattle.

And that brings us full-circle. The Seahawks play at home in each of the final two weeks, hosting the Arizona Cardinals and the 49ers. The Saints need Seattle to win both of those home games to ensure the playoffs run through New Orleans.

So, to sum it up: if the Saints are going to earn homefield advantage in the playoffs, they have to win all three of their remaining games. They also need the Packers to lose one of their two remaining games, while the Seahawks win both of their final two games (including the regular season finale against the 49ers). That’s easier said than done, but it’s very much a realistic scenario.

Now, it’s on the Saints and their fans to do what they’ve always done: put everything into winning the games left on their schedule.

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NFC Playoff Picture Week 15: Cowboys send 3 teams to playoffs, but they aren’t in yet

The Dallas Cowboys aren’t in the playoffs just yet, but in righting the ship they set up a Week 16 matchup with a rival.

The Dallas Cowboys’ 44-21 domination of the Los Angeles Rams bodes very well for their hopes of catching lightning in a bottle down the stretch of the 2019 season. The Cowboys did not clinch a playoff berth, but they did secure their first victory of the season over a club with a winning record, dropping the Rams to 8-6 on the season and improving their own record back to 7-7.

Dallas reduced their magic number on the season to two, so any combination of wins by them or losses by the also 7-7 Philadelphia Eagles that amounts to two sends the Cowboys to the playoffs as NFC East champions for the second year in a row. If Dallas is able to pull off the feat, it will be the first time a team repeats as division champions since the Eagles pulled off the feat from 2001 through 2004. The two clubs just happen to face off, in Philadelphia, in Week 16.

[GAME RECAP: Cowboys Win, De-horn Rams 44-21]

But while the Cowboys couldn’t secure their own ticket to the dance, they helped out several other teams do just that by knocking off the Rams. Thanks to the Dallas win, San Francisco and Seattle – Rams rival from the NFC West – and the NFC North leaders the Green Bay Packers, all secured their tickets.

The Seahawks, 30-24 victors over the Carolina Panthers in an early game, moved into the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC when the 49ers somehow lost to their head coach’s former team. Kyle Shanahan’s team had a tough schedule down the stretch, but no one expected them to fall to the Atlanta Falcons like they did, 29-22 in another late-afternoon game.

The New Orleans Saints could become the fourth NFC team to have an 11-3 record after 15 weeks if they can defeat the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football.

Here’s a look at the current NFC Standings.

1. Seattle Seahawks (11-3) – wins NFCW tiebreaker due to head-to-head win over SF, breaks tie for seed due to common games, conference games
2. Green Bay Packers (11-3) – wins tiebreaker over New Orleans due to conference-game record
3. New Orleans Saints (11-3)
4. Dallas Cowboys (7-7) – wins division tiebreaker due to head-to-head win over Philadelphia
5. San Francisco (11-3)
6. Minnesota Vikings (10-4)

The Cowboys will win the NFC East if they beat Philadelphia next week. If they lose, Dallas will need the Eagles to lose to the New York Giants in Week 17 while Dallas defeats Washington. That scenario will also get them in.

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Saints fan rooting interests, Week 15: Know who to pull for in each game

New Orleans Saints fans can kick back and relax on Sunday, but they have plenty of rooting interests during the NFL’s Week 15 schedule.

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New Orleans Saints fans have a nice, easygoing Sunday of football ahead of them, because their team won’t play until Monday night. So that game with the Indianapolis Colts is out of sight and out of mind.

But who should Saints fans root for in every other game on the NFL’s Week 15 schedule? To find out, we surveyed each matchup and made our take as to who deserves your support. All odds are sourced from BetMGM.

Around the NFC South

Indianapolis Colts (6-7) at New Orleans Saints (10-3). Saints by 9.5. Obviously pull for the Saints here, as they look to bounce back from last week’s loss.

Atlanta Falcons (4-9) at San Francisco 49ers (11-2). 49ers by 10.5. Don’t think of this as rooting for a Falcons win so much as hoping for a 49ers loss. If San Francisco trips up, the Saints get right back into the hunt for the first playoff seed.

Seattle Seahawks (10-3) at Carolina Panthers (5-8). Seahawks by 5.5. A Seahawks win helps keep the Los Angeles Rams out of the playoffs, which would be hilarious after their implosion in last year’s Super Bowl. Root for that.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) at Detroit Lions (3-9-1). Buccaneers by 3.5. Tampa Bay is eliminated from playoffs contention, so this is a great game for them to keep stacking wins and worsen their draft positioning. It would also help ensure they’re stuck with Jameis Winston.

Painting the NFC Playoff Picture

Minnesota Vikings (9-4) at Los Angeles Chargers (5-8). Vikings by 1.5. A Vikings win keeps them in the playoffs, and helps deny the Rams a spot, which we’ve established would be entertaining. Root for that.

Los Angeles Rams (8-5) at Dallas Cowboys (6-7). Rams by 1.5. It’s understandable if you’ve sworn off every rooting for the Cowboys, but hear us out: there’s a scenario where they win today (pushing the Rams further down in the hunt for the playoffs) but lose the rest of their games, and end up hosting the wild-card Vikings or Seahawks in the playoffs despite having a losing record. That’s objectively funny, so pull for the Cowboys.

Chicago Bears (7-6) at Green Bay Packers (10-3). Packers by 4.5. Any Packers losses down the stretch help the Saints’ chances of getting a top-two playoff seed and the bye week that comes with it. A late-season win at Lambeau Field would help Mitchell Trubisky’s staying power, which is good for every other NFC team. Root for the Bears.

Philadelphia Eagles (6-7) at Washington Redskins (3-10). Eagles by 5.5. The Eagles are not a good football team, so it would be great if the Saints draw them at some point in the playoffs. They have just as good a shot at winning the NFC East as the spiraling Cowboys. Root for them to take that race down to the wire.

Leftovers and Lagniappe

Houston Texans (8-5) at Tennessee Titans (8-5). Titans by 2.5. The Titans are the Saints’ next opponent, so this game is definitely worth watching (call it advanced scouting). The winner of this game could take an insurmountable lead on the AFC South, and more Deshaun Watson is better for football. Root for a Texans upset and playoffs push.

Miami Dolphins (3-10) at New York Giants (2-11). Giants by 3.5. It’s been quite a year for former Saints linebacker Vince Biegel, who was traded to the Dolphins before the season and converted to his college position of a hand-in-the-dirt pass rusher. He’s ranked third on the Dolphins defense in sacks (2) but leads the team in quarterback hits (11), so root for him to get a win on Sunday.

Cleveland Browns (6-7) at Arizona Cardinals (3-9-1). Browns by 2.5. The Browns don’t have much to hang their hats on, but a win over Arizona would be fun for ex-LSU Tigers like Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, and Greedy Williams. Root for them to beat the Cardinals.

Buffalo Bills (9-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5). Steelers by 1.5. The Steelers are closing in on a playoff berth and the first-round exit they’re destined for. At least the Bills are fun to watch. If you tune into “Sunday Night Football,” root for the Bills as slight underdogs.

Denver Broncos (5-8) at Kansas City Chiefs (9-4). Chiefs by 9.5. The Saints have to play both of these teams next year, but there’s not much to be done for the playoff-bound Chiefs. Root for the Broncos to win and hurt their draft positioning.

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9) at Oakland Raiders (6-7). Raiders by 6.5. This is the final Raiders game to be played in Oakland, and the choice is clear: root for the silver and black to send their home fans out with a memorable victory.

New England Patriots (10-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-12). Patriots by 9.5. Never root for the Patriots, especially in the wake of Spygate 2: Spy Harder. A Bengals upset would be the funniest sports moment of the year.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Can the Broncos still make the playoffs?

The Broncos can still make the playoffs this season. Here’s how.

Despite starting the season with a 3-8 record, the Broncos still mathematically still have a chance to reach the 2019 NFL playoffs. Denver will need a lot of help from other teams, though.

Here’s what needs to happen, according to The Denver Post:

Broncos need to win out, finish 8-8 (possible).
Texans-Titans can’t end in a tie (probably won’t).
Loser of Texans-Titans must lose out (unlikely).
Steelers must lose out (unlikely).
Browns must lose at least one game (probable).
Colts must lose at least two games (possible).

The chances of all of that happening? Less than 1%, according to The New York Times. If those scenarios do happen, Denver would sneak into the playoffs as the AFC’s No. 6 seed with an 8-8 record.

As it stands now, that would give the Broncos a Wild Card meeting against the Chiefs. If Denver won that game, they would go on to face the Ravens in the Divisional round. If they won in Baltimore, the Broncos would then advance to the AFC Championship.

But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Denver needs to win on Sunday — and then get a lot of help — to stay in the playoff race.

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AFC Playoff Picture heading into Week 15

The AFC playoff picture got a little bit more interesting with the Patriots’ loss. There are races for the AFC East, South, and Wild Cards.

The top seed in the AFC was locked up this weekend when the Ravens beat the Bills and the Patriots topped the Chiefs. New England would have to win out and Baltimore would have to lose two games for the No. 1 seed to flip. That isn’t happening. Now the real races belong to the AFC East, the AFC South, and the wildcard spots. There are seven teams gunning for six spots and the AFC North and AFC West have been decided.

AFC East

New England Patriots 10-3

The Patriots offense is broken and there’s no immediate fix. That’s the way it is. That’s bad news for New England. The good news for the Patriots is that they have one real potential loss on their schedule. They should beat the Bengals and Dolphins. They should also beat the Bills at home. Even if they lose to Buffalo, they can still get the three seed, but they want a bye.

Remaining Schedule: @Bengals, Bills, Dolphins

Buffalo Bills 9-4

Buffalo looked good against Baltimore. Let’s rephrase that, Buffalo’s defense looked good against Baltimore. The offense did not look good. That’s bad news for a Bills team going up against its doppelganger this week — and the Steelers have a better defense than the Bills. Buffalo just needs to get to 10 wins. That should be their goal for the wildcard.

Remaining Schedule: @Steelers, @Patriots, Jets

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NFC playoff picture: The Panthers are officially eliminated

There are still three weeks left to go in the regular season, but the Panthers have officially been eliminated from playoff contention.

There are still three weeks left to go in the regular season, but the Panthers have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. Their own embarrassing loss to the Falcons was bad enough. It was the Vikings’ victory over the Lions that made it official, though.

Here’s where things stand in the NFC playoff picture heading into Monday night’s game between the Eagles and Giants.

Playoff teams

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 (10-3)
6. Minnesota Vikings (9-4)

Still in the race

7. Los Angeles Rams (8-5)
8. Chicago Bears (7-6)
9. Philadelphia Eagles (5-7)

The Eagles can still catch Dallas for that No. 4 seed but they are running out of time. A win tonight against an awful New York team with Eli Manning starting again is an absolute must.

Seattle’s loss to the Rams on Sunday night kept LA in the race for the No. 6 spot. Jared Goff has turned things around after a brutal stretch and put some pressure on Kirk Cousins and Minnesota to maintain that seed. The Vikings close out the regular season against the Chargers (away), Packers (home) and Bears (home). The Rams will face the Cowboys (away), 49ers (away) and Cardinals (home).

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AFC Playoff Picture heading into Week 14

The AFC playoff picture got a little bit more interesting with the Patriots loss. There are races for the AFC East, South, and Wild Cards.

It might be time to talk about the Patriots but we will know more after this week against the Chiefs. It’s definitely time to talk about the Ravens and how they’ve looked like an unstoppable force. Even with the Texans’ impressive victory, there’s a challenger lurking in the South. The AFC West is still the Chiefs to lose.

AFC East

New England Patriots 10-2

New England had to go 2-2 in their stretch of games that started with the Eagles and ended with the Chiefs. That’s exactly what was said last week. It still stands. Of course, winning against Kansas City is probably in their best interest. They still have the inside track at winning the AFC East, but a victory against the Chiefs may also assure them a bye.

Remaining Schedule: Chiefs, @Bengals, Bills, Dolphins

Buffalo Bills 9-3

The Bills have a legit shot at winning the AFC East. Of course, they will have to beat the Ravens and Steelers first and then beat the Patriots in New England. They could enter Week 17 needing a win to get to the playoffs.

Remaining Schedule: Ravens, @Steelers, @Patriots, Jets

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Seahawks can take lead in NFC West with win over Vikings

The Seattle Seahawks will move into the lead in the NFC West and 2nd place in the NFC if they defeat the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.

The Seattle Seahawks got a big boost to their potential playoff picture on Sunday, and they didn’t even have to step on the field to do so.

The 49ers lost a close battle to the Ravens, 20-17, after Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker nailed a 49-yard field goal as time expired to give them the win.

The loss dropped San Francisco to 10-2 on the season.

Should Seattle defeat Minnesota on Monday night, they would also be 10-2 on the season, and in first place in the NFC West and second overall in the NFC. They currently hold the tiebreaker over their NFC West rivals after defeating them in overtime in Week 10.

As great as a win would be for Seattle’s fortunes, a loss would put them 9-3 on the year and all the way down to sixth place in the NFC.

Minnesota would hold a tiebreaker over them for the rest of the year, and they are currently locked in a tie for the NFC North title – with Green Bay holding the tiebreaker over them.

So, without question, Monday night’s battle will have huge playoff implications in the crowded NFC.

However – San Francisco will get a chance to even the score against Seattle in Week 17, in what promises to be one of the most exciting finishes of any NFL season in recent memory.

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AFC Playoff Picture heading into Week 13

The AFC playoff picture is clear at the top with the Patriots and Ravens but murky at the bottom with the Bills, Steelers, and Browns.

There are three teams that can truly make a run at the Super Bowl — and maybe really two — and they are the Patriots, Ravens, and Chiefs. Every other squad looks to be fighting for a nice playoff game and an exit. Every division is decided except for the AFC South even though the Texans have to be the heavy favorite. As for the wild cards, those are wide open. The Bills look to have the inside track, but they could slip up. Let’s check out the race by division.

AFC East

New England Patriots 10-1

New England had to go 2-2 in their stretch of games that started with the Eagles and ended with the Chiefs. They are already 2-0. They still can’t slip up since the Ravens have the tiebreaker due to Baltimore’s head to head win against the Pats. The good news is that New England has owned Houston in recent years. The bad news is that the Patriots offense hasn’t looked very good recently and they could struggle to keep up with the Texans and Chiefs. After their next two games, the Patriots final three matchups are all winnable.

Remaining Schedule: @Texans, Chiefs, @Bengals, Bills, Dolphins

Buffalo Bills 8-3

Buffalo gets Dallas on Thanksgiving and then 10 days to prepare for the unstoppable force that is the Ravens. They play at Pittsburgh which will be a rock fight and then at New England. The Bills may need to win their final game of the season against the suddenly surging Jets to make the playoffs.

Remaining Schedule: @Cowboys, Ravens, @Steelers, @Patriots, Jets

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NFC playoff picture: Bubble teams like the Rams are running out of time

Here’s an updated look at the NFC playoff picture after Week 12.

There’s still five weeks left to play in the NFL’s 2019 regular season. We already have a good idea who’s going to be in the postseason, though.

Here’s an updated look at the NFC playoff picture after Week 12.

Playoff teams

1. San Francisco 49ers (10-1)
2. New Orleans Saints (9-2)
3. Green Bay Packers (8-3)
4. Dallas Cowboys (6-5)
5. Seattle Seahawks (9-2)
6. Minnesota Vikings (8-3)

Still in the race

7. Los Angeles Rams (6-5)
8. Chicago Bears (5-6)
9. Philadelphia Eagles (5-6)
10. Carolina Panthers (5-6)

The gap between the teams that are currently in line for a playoff spot and those that are trying to work their way in is significant. LA’s mortifying loss to the Ravens on Monday night might have made it impossible for them to catch up with Seattle and Minnesota for a wild card spot.

If there’s going to be any change, Dallas could end up losing the NFC East race to the Eagles, which would give Philly the No. 4 seed. Other than that, it’s hard to see any of the other five playoff teams dropping out at this point. The Seahawks have been winning a lot of close games and are due for some regression. It hasn’t happened yet, though. Meanwhile, the Vikings have a pretty cushy schedule to close out the year.

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