Tag: Standings

Saints lose their lead on the NFC South after uneven 3-week start

The New Orleans Saints rank behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but ahead of the Carolina Panthers in updated NFC South standings after Week 3.

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Well, that’s not ideal. After jumping out to an early lead in the race for a division crown, the New Orleans Saints are now barely ahead of the lowly 1-2 Carolina Panthers, by virtue of a win over a divisional opponent. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on top of the NFC South through three weeks, having earned a 2-1 record.

That’s painful, but it’s to be expected when the Saints play as poorly as they have. They’ve lost games on the road (to the 2-1 Las Vegas Raiders) and at home (to the 3-0 Green Bay Packers, who appear well-positioned for the No. 1 playoff seed in the NFC).

At least they aren’t the 0-3 Atlanta Falcons, who have blown double-digit leads in the fourth quarter twice in as many weeks. They’re firmly in the NFC South’s basement.

Sure, the Saints can turn it around. They could start winning games again as soon as next week, when they visit the 1-2 Detroit Lions at Ford Field (before a return back to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, when the 1-2 Los Angeles Chargers visit in Week 5). It’s very possible the Saints go into their bye week at a respectable 3-2, coming out of the break ready to get hot in October. That could go a long way towards earning their fourth consecutive division title.

We’ll see what happens. Just to drive the point home, here are how the NFC South teams stack up after Week 3’s games:

  1. 2-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1 in NFC South)
  2. 1-2 New Orleans Saints (1-0 in NFC South)
  3. 1-2 Carolina Panthers (0-1 in NFC South)
  4. 0-3 Atlanta Falcons (0-0 in NFC South)

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NFC North Week 2 roundup

Looking around the NFC North after Week 2 and seeing where the Detroit Lions stand within the division.

The Green Bay Packers are the clear front runners in the NFC North even though they are technically still tied atop the division with the Chicago Bears. The Detroit Lions have had a disastrous start, but they are still ahead of the Minnesota Vikings in the standings due to point differential.

For the sake of our reader’s sanity, we won’t make you read a recap of the Lions collapse in Green Bay and will skip right ahead to the other two games.

The Bears Week 2 game was almost the inverse of their efforts in Week 1, as they jumped out to a 17-0 halftime lead over the Saquan Barkley-less New York Giants and then managed to hold off a late Giants surge, closing the game out 17-13.

The Vikings kicked a field goal on their opening possession, then saw their offense fall off a cliff until late in the fourth quarter when Dalvin cook scored a touchdown and two-point conversion. That was the only points the Vikings would score and they would go on to lose 28-11 to the Colts.

NFC North Standings

Team Overall Division Point Dif
Green Bay Packers 2-0 2-0 +30
Chicago Bears 2-0 2-0 +8
Detroit Lions 0-2 0-2 -25
Minnesota Vikings 0-2 0-1 -26

New Injuries

Packers center Corey Linsley sprained his thumb and his status is up in the air. Wide receiver Davante Adams was nursing a hamstring injury and was held out in the second half of last week’s game as a precaution. Adams is expected back in Week 3.

Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr was placed on injured reserve due to a torn pectoral and is expected to miss the season.

Up next

Packers at New Orleans Saints (1-1), Sunday at 8:20 pm EST

Bears at Atlanta Falcons (0-2), Sunday at 1:00 pm EST

Lions at Arizona Cardianls (2-0), Sunday at 1:00 pm EST

Vikings vs. Tennessee Titans (2-0), Sunday at 1:00 m, EST

The Athletic predicts Florida to finish 2nd in SEC East behind Georgia

The Athletic once again expects Florida to fall short of rival Georgia in the SEC East, projecting UF to finish second behind the Bulldogs.

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Though the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference kick off their seasons on Saturday, the Southeastern Conference is still three weeks away from its opening weekend.

But The Athletic already released its season preview for the conference, including projected orders of finish for both divisions.

However, they once again expect the Gators to fall short of rival Georgia in the SEC East, projecting Florida to finish second behind the Bulldogs. UGA has won three-straight SEC East titles, and UF coach Dan Mullen has yet to score a victory over the cross-border foe in his first two years.

Here’s the justification The Athletic gave for placing Florida second.

Florida has won 10 games in each of Dan Mullen’s first two years as coach and brings back quarterback Kyle Trask, who proved plenty capable in 2019. If anyone can catch Georgia in the SEC East standings, it will likely be the Gators.

And here is the full projected SEC East standings.

1
12-2
2
11-2
3
8-5
4
8-5
5
4-8
6
6-6
7
3-9

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CFN predicts third-place finish for the Longhorns in 2020

College Football News released their record predictions for all Power Five teams. Texas would finish 3rd in the Big 12 Conference.

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With the college football season approaching in just over 68 days, plenty of websites and media outlets are producing predictions. One such publication, College Football News, recently released its record predictions for every power five conference school.

According to the prediction, the Texas Longhorns finish the regular season 8-4. While that would be a one-game improvement from the 2019 campaign, it still feels like that would be a letdown season for the Longhorns. Likely leads to another Valero Alamo Bowl game for Texas. Therein lies the real disappointment, playing in a non-New Year’s Six bowl game.

After positing a 10-4 record in head coach Tom Herman’s second season for the Longhorns, expectations reached a fever pitch. It only came crashing down when the Longhorns received a bowl bid to the Alamo City Bowl. A return trip is not what anyone at Texas is looking for in 2020. While Herman isn’t on the hot seat, a disappointing year with no improvement in 2020 could force that conversation for 2021.

The CFN projection has Texas third in the conference behind Oklahoma State (10-2) and Oklahoma (11-1). The Longhorns will likely need to beat both the Cowboys and Sooners to have a shot at the Big 12 Championship this season.

Big 12 Final Standings Projection per CFN

  1. Oklahoma (11-1)
  2. Oklahoma State (10-2)
  3. Texas (8-4)
  4. Iowa State (7-5)
  5. Kansas State (7-5)
  6. Baylor (6-6)
  7. TCU (6-6)
  8. Texas Tech (6-6)
  9. West Virginia (5-7)
  10. Kansas (4-8)

Updated Men’s Basketball Standings Halfway Through Conference Play

Following the loss to KU last night, UT is officially halfway through its conference season. Sitting at 4-5, UT is seventh in the standings.

Following the loss to Kansas last night, Texas is officially halfway through its conference season. Sitting at 4-5 in the Big 12 right now, the Longhorns are currently seventh in the standings, only trailing Iowa State, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State.

If the Big 12 tournament was to begin today, Texas would be playing Oklahoma State in the first round. It would be the third time in the Shaka Smart Era that the Longhorns are playing on Wednesday in the conference tournament, ranking in the bottom four after the regular season.

Here is how the Big 12 sits halfway through Texas’ conference season:

  1. Baylor 20-1 (9-0 Big 12)
  2. Kansas 19-3 (8-1 Big 12)
  3. West Virginia 17-4 (5-3 Big 12)
  4. Oklahoma 14-7 (4-4 Big 12)
  5. TCU 13-8 (4-4 Big 12)
  6. Texas Tech 13-8 (4-4 Big 12)
  7. Texas 14-8 (4-5 Big 12)
  8. Iowa State 9-12 (2-6 Big 12)
  9. Kansas State 9-13 (2-7 Big 12)
  10. Oklahoma State 10-11 (0-8 Big 12)

Remaining schedule for the Longhorns

Home: Texas Tech 2/8, No. 1 Baylor 2/10, TCU 2/19, No. 12 West Virginia 2/24, Oklahoma State 3/7

Away: Iowa State 2/15, Kansas State 2/22, Texas Tech 2/29, Oklahoma 3/3

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Saints’ bid for a first-round bye week hinges on the Seahawks

The New Orleans Saints need the Seattle Seahawks to beat the San Francisco 49ers. The Saints would clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs.

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The New Orleans Saints will be watching Sunday night’s game between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks just like the rest of the country, but a little more rides on this game for them than for everyone else. Playoff implications aside, whoever wins the NFC West will visit New Orleans in 2020, finalizing the Saints’ official list of future opponents.

A Seahawks victory would clinch a first-round bye week for the Saints, giving their battered secondary some much-needed time to rest and recover from injuries to starting defensive backs Vonn Bell, Marcus Williams, and Eli Apple.

However, a 49ers win would send the Saints right back into the film room on Monday. They would have to prepare for a game in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome against the Minnesota Vikings next weekend. The Vikings deactivated many starters and key contributors in Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears, and will be well-rested and ready for the wild card round.

New Orleans tried its hardest to clinch that first-round bye, but it’s ultimately out of their hands. If the Detroit Lions had held onto their lead over the Green Bay Packers, the Saints would be in the hunt to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with the first seed. But the Lions failed, and the Saints have been impacted in a ripple effect.

In a case of extreme cosmic irony, the Saints risk being two of the three teams in NFL history to win 13 games and not clinch a top-two playoff seed (having done so previously in 2011; the only other team to do so was the 1999 Tennessee Titans). We’ll chalk that up to a botched voodoo spell. Get your gris-gris together, people.

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Drew Brees likes Saints’ playoffs odds, whether at home or on the road

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees isn’t afraid to take his show on the road, citing his team’s high win percentage away from the Superdome.

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The New Orleans Saints have done everything possible to secure a first-round bye week, though it’s still eluded them. Home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is out of their reach after the Green Bay Packers overcame a double-digit deficit to beat the Detroit Lions, but Saints quarterback Drew Brees wants it known that he isn’t afraid to go play on the road.

“I know a lot of people talk about the Superdome, and about us being a dome team, but the bottom line is that over the last 10 years we’ve won more games on the road than everybody but the New England Patriots,” Brees said during his postgame press conference.

That’s quite a stat to pull out of his hat, and Brees isn’t wrong: only the Patriots (57 wins ) outpace the Saints (52) in road wins since 2009, though the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers are close (having each won 51 games). As they’ve proven this season, the Saints can win anywhere in the NFL.

“I think that’s saying something about our teams,” Brees continued, “About how we’re coached. I think it says a lot. This year we were, what, 6-2 at home and 7-1 on the road?”

The Saints have been just as effective on the road as at home in the Superdome; there’s no greater evidence of that than the 38 and 42 points they dropped on the heads of their last two opponents, each of them in cold weather on the road.

Still, Brees hasn’t hung around the NFL this long by not taking things for granted. He knows what it takes to win in a hostile environment, and expects his team to prepare accordingly when the time comes: “Bottom line is each road game presents its challenges. It’s the crowd noise, it’s the conditions, it’s all those things you gauge depending on where you go. You plan for it, and this game is still about energy and execution. And I feel like that’s something we’ve done a great job with everywhere we’ve gone.”

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How Saints can clinch first-round bye week or No. 1 seed in Week 17

The New Orleans Saints have already punched their playoff ticket, but several clinch scenarios depend on the Packers, 49ers, and Seahawks.

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The New Orleans Saints have already punched their ticket for the NFC playoff tournament, but they didn’t get any help from the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. The Vikings, sunk by an awful performance from franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins, put in a pathetic effort against the Green bay Packers and made New Orleans’ path to a top-two playoff seed (and the bye week it carries) much more difficult.

Winning that first-round bye or securing homefield advantage throughout the playoffs are well within reach for New Orleans, but they’ll need plenty of help. Fortunately, the NFL is here to clear things up. Here are each of the playoff clinch scenarios relevant to the Saints in Week 17.

Saints clinch first-round bye

  1. Saints beat Panthers, and Packers lose/tie Lions OR
  2. Saints beat Panthers, and 49ers lose/tie Seahawks OR
  3. Saints tie Panthers, and Packers lose to Lions OR
  4. Saints tie Panthers, and 49ers lose to Seahawks OR
  5. 49ers lose to Seahawks, and Packers beat or tie Lions

Saints clinch No. 1 seed in NFC

  1. Saints beat Panthers, Packers lose/tie Lions, and 49ers lose/tie Seahawks OR
  2. Saints tie Panthers, Packers lose to Lions, and 49ers lose to Seahawks

Complicated as that all may be, it’s kind of what we expected: the Saints have to beat the Panthers on Sunday to reach their easiest path to the playoffs. After that, things move out of their hands. The Saints don’t need both the Packers and 49ers to trip up and lose in Week 17, either of them doing that is enough to clinch a playoff bye. And that’s really what’s most important, even if homefield advantage would be nice. The Saints have gone 6-1 on the road in 2019, and their road record speaks for itself — they’ve won 17 of their last 24 away games, going back to the 2017 season, including 13 of their last 15. New Orleans has built a team that can travel well and beat any team in any venue in the league. But they could sure use an extra week to rest up and prepare before making their playoffs debut.

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NFC Playoff Picture: How can the Saints win the first seed?

The Seattle Seahawks were upset by the Arizona Cardinals, meaning the New Orleans Saints need some help to leap up the NFC playoff standings

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The New Orleans Saints improved to 12-3 on Sunday after defeating the Tennessee Titans on the road, but they benefited from the results of a few other games. Chief among them was the shocking upset of the Seattle Seahawks, who fell to the Arizona Cardinals in a 27-13 landslide.

This sent a shockwave through the NFC playoff picture. It’s opened the door for the Saints to not just earn a first-round playoff bye, but win the conference’s top playoff seed. Here’s how.

First, the Saints have to win the regular season finale over the Carolina Panthers. While that’s no sure thing, it should be an easier Week 17 than the Saints have enjoyed in past years, given the Panthers’ sub-par quarterback situation and interim coaching staff. But for the sake of this exercise, we’ll assume the Saints pull it off.

Next, they need some help. The Green Bay Packers must lose or tie either of their remaining games (Monday against the Minnesota Vikings, or Week 17 with the Detroit Lions), and the San Francisco 49ers have to lose next week’s game with the Seattle Seahawks. If the Packers and 49ers each lose or tie one more game, the Saints will get a top-two seed. And if the Packers and 49ers each lose or tie all of their remaining games, the Saints would have the first seed.

The only scenario in which the Saints remain the third seed would be if the Packers win both of their last two games, while the 49ers win their final game. Let’s lay it out a little more clearer:

  • Saints get the first seed if: Packers lose to or tie Vikings and Lions, 49ers lose to or tie Seahawks
  • Saints get the second seed if: Packers lose to or tie Vikings or Lions, 49ers beat Seahawks
  • Saints get the second seed if: Packers beat Vikings and Lions, 49ers lose to or tie Seahawks
  • Saints get the third seed if: Packers beat Vikings and Lions, 49ers beat Seahawks

There’s one other scenario at play where the Saints can get the second seed if they lose to the Panthers next week (going 12-4) — it would require the Packers to win out (going 13-3), while the Seahawks beat the 49ers (who would each be 12-4, with Seattle winning the NFC West). But hopefully it won’t come to that.

So for Saints fans, they have to root for their team to beat the Panthers next week, then hope for either the Packers or 49ers to get tripped up down the stretch. That’s easier said than done considering the Packers have to visit the 3-11-1 Lions after Monday’s game with the Vikings, and the 49ers will get the benefit of a Seahawks team missing left tackle Duane Brown, and running backs Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise. Odds are still good (unfortunately) that the Saints will end up being the NFC’s third seed.

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NFC Playoff Picture: Why are the Saints ranked behind the Seahawks?

The New Orleans Saints beat the Seahawks head-to-head, and share records with the Green Bay Packers. So why are they the NFC’s third seed?

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The New Orelans Saints improved to an 11-3 record with their win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15, tying with one team they’ve already beaten (the Seattle Seahawks) and one that they haven’t (the Green Bay Packers) on top of the NFC playoff standings.

But the Saints are the third seed, not the first or second. If the playoffs started today, they would be hosting the sixth-seeded Minnesota Vikings while the Seahawks and Packers rest during their bye week. What gives?

It comes down in-conference win percentage. The Seahawks have the same record against other NFC teams as the Packers (8-2); they are both in better standing than the Saints (8-3). Normally, tiebreaking procedure for playoff seeding would go by overall record, and then head-to-head results. If it were just the Saints and Seahawks involved, the Saints would rank ahead.

But because the Packers are in the mix, that head-to-head ruling is thrown out the window. And because the Packers have earned a stronger record against NFC opponents than the Saints, they get the second seed behind Seattle. Because Green Bay is tied with the Seahawks and there is no head-to-head tiebreaker, the next step is to examine common opponents. And that’s where Seattle has an edge, having gone 4-0 against teams the Packers have a 2-2 record with.

This is why Saints fans should be pulling for the Seahawks to win the NFC West instead of the San Francisco 49ers, and why they should root for the Packers to drop another game (maybe next week, against the Vikings). If the Saints and Seahawks finish the year with identical records as the top two teams, the Saints can get the first seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

If it’s San Francisco instead, their head-to-head win over the Saints gives them that first seed. On top of that, the Packers have an easier road to claiming the first seed over the Saints, so for at least the next two weeks, Saints fans are pulling double-duty and backing up the 12’s. The Vikings could theoretically unseat the Packers on top of the NFC North and shake it all up, but that’s unlikely given Green Bay’s regular season finale with the lowly Detroit Lions.

For the curious, here’s how each of these teams looks against in-conference, plus the wild-card Vikings and 49ers. We aren’t going to worry about the NFC East winner, because the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles are both terrible (and mathematically don’t matter; the best record either of them can finish with is 9-7). Overall records are in bold text:

  • 11-3 Seattle Seahawks: 8-2 in the NFC, .800
  • 11-3 Green Bay Packers: 8-2 in the NFC, .800
  • 11-3 New Orleans Saints: 8-3 in the NFC, .727
  • 10-4 Minnesota Vikings: 7-3 in the NFC, .700
  • 11-3 San Francisco 49ers: 8-2 in the NFC, .800

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