Tag: scenarios

How the Saints can punch their ticket to the playoffs in Week 18

There are only two routes for the New Orleans Saints to make the playoffs, but they both start by beating the Atlanta Falcons:

The New Orleans Saints saved their season by defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That win left the door open for a divisional title. The Seattle Seahawks Week 17 loss leaves the door open to a wild card position. It seemed the Saints were positioned to have their season all but done after Week 17, but now there is hope in the season finale.

There are technically four routes for the Saints to make it to the playoffs, but it’s really just two routes with a slight tweak. New Orleans doesn’t control their own destiny, so let’s look at the help they need.

In order to win the division, the Saints need the Buccaneers to fall to the Panthers. It doesn’t feel realistic, but we’ve seen weird upsets this year. New Orleans would be the final wild card team if Seattle and Green Bay both lose in Week 18.

Those are the only two routes for the Saints to make the playoffs. It expands into four because the Saints have to win or tie against the Falcons. Simply put, New Orleans needs to not lose and have either of those scenarios happen. That would secure them a playoff berth.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

NFL announces kickoff time for Week 18 Saints-Falcons game

The NFL announced its kickoff time for Week 18’s penultimate Saints-Falcons game, along with other matchups fans should be monitoring:

There it is: the NFL announced that the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons will kick off in Week 18 at noon CT on Sunday, Jan. 7. There are a couple of paths the Saints can take to get to the playoffs, but everything starts with a win at the Caesars Superdome. The game will be broadcast on CBS.

So what other games should be on Saints fans’ radar? The most important matchup is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Carolina Panthers tilt which will be broadcast in the same window on FOX. If the Saints and Panthers both win, New Orleans clinches the NFC South and a home playoff game.

But if the Buccaneers win, they’ll take the division for themselves and send the Saints scurrying for a wild-card seed. If that’s the case, here are the games to watch, and who fans should be rooting for marked in bold text:

  • Chicago Bears (7-9) vs. Green Bay Packers (8-8); 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS
  • Seattle Seahawks (8-8) vs. Arizona Cardinals (4-12); 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX

If the Packers win and the Seahawks lose, Green Bay gets the seventh playoff seed. The reverse is also true. Both teams need to lose for the Saints to clinch that seventh playoff seed. The Saints dug themselves quite a hole. They’ll  need help getting out of it, but their season isn’t over just yet.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Saints need a win in Week 18 and a lot of help to clinch a playoff berth

Winning their remaining games won’t be enough to clinch a Saints playoff berth. They need a lot of help from other teams:

The New Orleans Saints took an important step toward reaching the playoffs by beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but that alone won’t get them over the hump. Neither will a win in the regular-season finale next week against the Atlanta Falcons.

Because they tripped up and lost games to other teams in the wild-card race earlier this year, like the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams, the Saints are not in control of their own fate. So how can they get into the playoffs?

They’ll need a lot of help. As has been the case all year, their easiest path runs through the NFC South. The Saints must defeat the Falcons next week and hope for a Carolina Panthers upset over the Bucs. That’s easier said than done — this same Panthers team got shut out 26-0 by the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17.

So what if the Saints don’t win the division? Could they still get in as a wild-card team? Technically, yes, but that window is rapidly closing and becoming less likely by the minute. The Rams survived a comeback effort by the New York Giants, so they’ll win any tiebreaker with the Saints at the end of the season. That means the Saints need the Seattle Seahawks to lose twice (to the Pittsburgh Steelers today and against the Arizona Cardinals next week) while also getting some help from the NFC North. And if the Seahawks beat the Steelers on Sunday afternoon, all of this is moot.

Whichever team wins on Sunday night — the Packers or Vikings — would be in conflict with the Saints in Week 18, and they each own head-to-head tiebreakers over New Orleans. So the winner of Sunday night’s game must lose next week, with the Seahawks also losing, while the Saints beat the Falcons team that got the better of them earlier this season. The Packers will host the Chicago Bears, while the Vikings visit the Detroit Lions.

If all three of those levers are pulled, the Saints will clinch the seventh playoff seed in the NFC. So it’s possible. It could happen. Stranger things have happened before in the NFL. But it isn’t likely given all of the different factors at play and each team’s schedule. The Saints made this bed for themselves. Now they have to sleep in it.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Saints go into Week 17 with their playoff hopes on the line

The Saints go into Week 17 with their playoff hopes on the line. A loss to the same Bucs team that beat them in September would end their season:

A year has passed since Dennis Allen’s team got defeated at Raymond James Stadium, but the New Orleans Saints (7-8) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) are primed for a rematch that feels strikingly familiar.

Once again, the Saints’ playoff hopes are on the line when they kick off. A loss or tie to the same Buccaneers team that beat them 26-9 in October would eliminate New Orleans from the NFC South title race and clinch the division for Tampa Bay. Allen and his squad cannot afford to lose this game and keep selling fans a vision for a home playoff game.

What about the seventh NFC playoff seed? The Saints won’t be eliminated from that just by losing to the Bucs, but they’re already long shots, and a couple of other games’ results could take it off the board if they do come up short. If the Saints lose or tie this week, a Los Angeles Rams win or tie (who are visiting the New York Giants) as well as a Seattle Seahawks win or tie (they’re hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers) would knock out New Orleans.

So if you want to see the Saints advance to the postseason, like the players and coaches and team executives in the front office, here’s what you need to root for:

  • Saints win over Buccaneers (loss clinches NFC South for Tampa Bay)
  • Rams loss vs. Giants (Los Angeles win plus Seattle win plus Saints loss or tie eliminates New Orleans from playoffs)
  • Seahawks loss at Steelers (Seattle win plus Los Angeles win eliminates New Orleans from playoffs)

To put it more simply, a Saints loss plus a Rams win/tie and a Seahawks win/tie would eliminate New Orleans altogether.

It’s the most important game of the year after we said the same thing last week, when Allen’s crew fell flat on their face against Los Angeles (a well-coached wild-card team that’s gunning for the postseason themselves). There’s nothing to play for but pride if the Saints lose on Sunday. Let’s hope they at least express the sense of urgency that should come with that.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Simple, reasonable paths for Packers to make playoffs with 2 weeks left

How can the Packers make the postseason with two weeks left? Here are some reasonable, simple paths to the playoffs for Matt LaFleur’s team.

The Green Bay Packers are 7-8 and currently outside the NFC playoff field with two weeks to go, but Matt LaFleur’s team has a few rather simple paths to qualifying for the postseason as a wildcard team. In fact, the Packers can clinch a spot with only four specific results mixed in different ways.

What needs to happen in one of these four-game scenarios?

— The Packers need to beat the Vikings in Week 17
— The Rams need to beat the Giants in Week 17
— The Packers need to beat the Bears in Week 18
— The 49ers need to beat the Rams in Week 18

No other result is required. The Packers would be in regardless of what happens with any other NFC team because of a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rams. And the great part of this scenario is all four results look reasonable; the Rams will be favored over the Giants, and the 49ers — who will be fighting for positioning in the season finale — will almost certainly be favored over the Rams.

The Packers and Rams are strongly intertwined in this race. Another four-result clinching scenario actually exists.

— Giants beat Rams
— Packers beat Vikings
— Packers beat Bears
— Rams beat 49ers

Not as likely, but still possible. Packers finishing 2-0 and Rams 1-1 is the way. The Rams losing out (0-2) actually complicates the scenario.

Need another path? Here’s one that would set up a win-and-in scenario in the season finale.

If any combination of two losses by the Falcons (vs. Bears), Rams (vs. Giants) and Seahawks (vs. Steelers), and the Packers beat the Vikings, it would set up a win-and-in scenario over the Bears in Week 18.

So, the Packers would need two of the following results in Week 17:

1. Bears beat Falcons
2. Giants beat Rams
3. Steelers beat Seahawks

And then beat the Vikings to set up a win-and-in season finale vs. the Bears.

The Rams wouldn’t need to factor into this scenario. The Bears beating the Falcons and Steelers beating Seahawks (two reasonable results) would be all the Packers need to set up a clinching two-game scenario vs. the Vikings and Bears.

Long story short: the Packers need to win out against two division rivals and get a little bit of help. Not an unreasonable amount of help requiring big upsets and a string of losses, but just a few possible results.

The cheering guide in Week 17 is pretty straightforward: the Bears, Giants and Steelers can all help the Packers, and the Packers have to go to Minnesota and beat the Vikings. The best-case scenario — entering Week 18 with a chance to beat the Bears and clinch a playoff spot — is possible, and even a Rams win over the Giants could be beneficial.

‘The Rams are our friends,’ for now: Cowboys Week 16 rooting guide

The Cowboys can still win the division and have the longest of shots at the No. 1 seed. However, even if they fail, the Rams could play a vital role in helping Dallas realize their ultimate goals. | From @KDDrummondNFL

An interesting thing has happened in the NFC playoff race. Without taking the field since being blown out by the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, ending their five-game winning streak, the Dallas Cowboys got better. Mind you, they are the exact same caliber team they were before and after kickoff in Buffalo, but the goal-post movers lost a round of ammunition on Thursday. The Rams are now winners of five of their last six games after taking out the New Orleans Saints, improving to 8-7.

For those who have claimed Dallas is unable to win games against teams .500 or better, who are outside of the NFC East (which is high comedy how specific that knock is), they mitigated that the Week 2 win over the New York Jets (1-0) and the Week 6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) didn’t count, because they were no longer above .500. But now the Rams, who were 3-4 when Dallas roasted them 43-20, qualify and raise the tide on the Cowboys’ resume.

That’s silly, of course, but so is the original argument. Dallas is who they are, a quality team regardless of what their opponents do outside of playing them. But the Rams are a great example, and also may be of help to the Cowboys come playoff time as well. In more ways than one, the Rams are our friends.

The 5 most likely scenarios for Oklahoma Sooners 2023 season

What are the five most likely scenarios for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023?

The Oklahoma Sooners were picked to finish third by the media in the Big 12 preseason poll. This is the final season in a conference the Sooners historically have dominated.

After what happened a year ago, it’s safe to say there are question marks heading into the 2023 season.

Will the Sooners improve defensively? Will the offense take a step back or take a step forward? Who becomes the go-to playmaker at wideout? All are major question marks.

But this is Oklahoma. Whether you like it or not, fans are going to have high expectations regardless of the questions laid out in front of them.

Combine all of that with what appears to be a fairly favorable schedule, and there are again high expectations coming into Year 2 for Brent Venables and company

Let’s take a look at five ways the season could play out for Oklahoma

Potential trade down scenarios for Packers in first round of 2023 draft

Envisioning a few trade-down scenarios for the Packers in the first round of the 2023 draft.

The Green Bay Packers currently hold the No. 15 overall pick in the 2023 draft, but it’s possible an opportunity to trade down and acquire more draft capital will arrive at some point on the first night of the draft.

A trade back works for the Packers, who are starting the Jordan Love era and have multiple short and long-term roster needs to address in this draft.

Here are a few trade-back scenarios for the Packers in the first round of the 2023 draft, using the Rich Hill trade value chart as a guide.

4 most likely scenarios for Packers in the first round of 2023 draft

What will the Packers do in the first round of the 2023 draft? We present the four most likely scenarios for next Thursday.

Barring a massive trade out of the round, the Green Bay Packers will make a pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft in eight days. Currently, the Packers hold the No. 15 overall pick.

What will general manager Brian Gutekunst do to kick off the first draft of the Jordan Love era?

Here are the four most likely scenarios for the Packers in the first round:

Vikings prove all their doubters right, choke vs. Packers and eliminate Saints from playoff race

The Vikings proved their doubters right, choking to the Packers and eliminating the Saints from playoff contention. There’s no path forward, but no false hope, either:

Well, that stinks. The New Orleans Saints will hit the field next week without any playoff ramifications for the first time in years, having not gotten the help they needed on Sunday.

Despite having beaten the Philadelphia Eagles to improve to 7-9 on the season, the Saints needed one more game to go their way to keep their hopes alive another week. But the Minnesota Vikings proved all of their doubters right, choking against the Green Bay Packers and eliminating the Saints from playoff contention in their 41-17 loss. Thanks for nothing, Minnesota.

So there’s no path forward for New Orleans, but no false hope, either. Fans won’t have to kid themselves into hoping three or four other games end with the results they need next week so they can elbow their way into the playoffs. It’s disappointing to see their season end like this, but that might be better than the alternative. Drawing this out much longer might get exhausting.

But you play to win the game, right? And the Saints’ schedule isn’t over just yet. The Carolina Panthers are visiting next Sunday, and both teams want to leave with their pride. Carolina might leave with more — this is an opportunity for them to tie up the all-time record with New Orleans, which the Saints lead 28-27. Those would be nice bragging rights to take with them into the offseason.

It’s a shame the Saints’ season ended out of their control, but they let too many chances slip through their fingers to get to this point. They’re going to end this year with a losing record. Close losses to the Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers loom large. At the end of the day, the Saints didn’t take care of business, and it came back to bite them. Better luck next year.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=120267]