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Breaking down Saints fans’ rooting interests during Week 11 bye
The New Orleans Saints are on bye this week, so who should fans root for? Some choices are easier than others when you consider local ties, playoff implications, and the Saints’ schedule of upcoming opponents down the stretch.
But we’ve broken down each individual matchup and made our picks for Saints fans’ rooting interests in Week 11. Here’s where we stand:
New Orleans Saints fans have an easy choice for Super Bowl LIV. It’s time to root for the Kansas City Chiefs over the San Francisco 49ers.
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The Kansas City Chiefs will play the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV in Miami in two weeks, and the choice for New Orleans Saints fans is clear: root for Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and Kansas City.
Sure, the Saints-49ers rivalry is a big part of this. Drew Brees and the Saints dropped 46 points on San Francisco during the regular season, but it wasn’t enough to win — that loss played a huge part in playoff standings later on down the road, eventually gifting the 49ers a first-round bye and dooming the Saints to a first-round exit.
But the bad blood runs deeper. The 2011 Saints team was one of the best in franchise history (possibly the best), but its season ended on a sunny afternoon in San Francisco during the playoffs. To go back even further, reaching into past decades, the Saints were terrorized by the 49ers dynasty as division rivals in the old NFC West.
So, sure, it would be great if the Saints were playing in this year’s Super Bowl instead of these two squads. But they aren’t, and it’s time fans make their peace with that. Enjoy the dozen-or-so Saints players cutting up at the Pro Bowl and become Chiefs fans for a week or two.
If we’re lucky, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan will get a 28-3 lead over the Chiefs and inevitably have it blow up in his face, just as it did when his Atlanta Falcons lost Super Bowl LI. Considering Mahomes has done a lot of playing from behind this postseason (while Shanahan and the 49ers have done plenty of playing-with-a-lead), that scenario isn’t as far-fetched as it feels like. Wouldn’t that be something?
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The New Orleans Saints headline Week 14 with their game against the San Francisco 49ers but fans have rooting interests in almost every game
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The NFL has a loaded slate of games in its Week 14 schedule, and New Orleans Saints fans have plenty of rooting interests on Sunday despite their team already having locked up the NFC South and the playoff berth that comes with it. Here’s who you should root for in every kickoff this week, with all odds sourced from BetMGM.
San Francisco 49ers (10-2) at New Orleans Saints (10-2), Saints by 2.5. Obviously root for the Saints here. A win gives the Saints stronger control on the first seed and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, while a 49ers win keeps them in the race for the NFC West crown.
Carolina Panthers (5-7) at Atlanta Falcons (3-9), Falcons by 3.5. Don’t consciously root for a Falcons victory, but don’t be against it by default. A loss would help their draft positioning and probably ensure that they fire Dan Quinn after the season. If Atlanta wins, they’ll have a worse draft slot and a sliver of hope might remain that Quinn sticks around with this directionless franchise.
Indianapolis Colts (6-6) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-9), Buccaneers by 3.5. Similar logic to the Falcons call: take some happiness in a Tampa Bay win because it would help keep them from improving in the future while keeping Jameis Winston around. It’s unclear whether Winston will get re-signed in the offseason, but stringing together some wins in meaningless December games would help. And that’s good for the Saints.
Seattle Seahawks (10-2) at Los Angeles Rams (7-5), Rams by 1.5. The Rams are a long shot to sneak into the playoffs, but it’s not impossible. A Seahawks win would keep them on top of the NFC West, and the Saints have a head-to-head win tiebreaker over them, which would help keep control of the first seed in New Orleans. Root for the Seahawks.
Washington Redskins (3-9) at Green Bay Packers (9-3), Packers by 12.5. So long as the NFC East spirals further into the dumpster, the Saints are guaranteed to finish no lower than third in the playoff seeding. Root for a surprise Packers loss, however, long the odds may be,to help New Orleans’ case for a top-two seed.
Detroit Lions (3-8-1) at Minnesota Vikings (8-4), Vikings by 12.5. Your choices are never rooting for the Vikings, even if it means putting your faith in seventh-string Lions quarterback David Blough, or gritting your teeth and looking at it as pulling against the Rams. L.A. needs the Vikings to slip up a couple times down the stretch to get back into the playoffs, but missing the tournament is what they deserve after backing into last year’s Super Bowl and doing absolutely nothing with that opportunity.
New York Giants (2-10) at Philadelphia Eagles (5-7), Eagles by 9.5. The worst division in professional football welcomes back Eli Manning this week, and the Eagles defense is thin enough for even him to dice them up. It would be hilarious, so root for a Giants upset.
Tennessee Titans (7-5) at Oakland Raiders (6-6), Titans by 2.5. The Titans are surging under Ryan Tannehill, and they might need to win out to make the playoffs. That’s their goal, setting up an intense clash with the Saints in Week 16. Root for them to trip up here in one of the last games Raiders fans will get to see in Oakland.
Baltimore Ravens (10-2) at Buffalo Bills (9-3), Ravens by 5.5. This game should be extremely fun, featuring two young quarterbacks (Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, and Buffalo’s Josh Allen) who have made strides in their second year despite their doubters. The Ravens will probably keep marching towards the playoffs, but a Bills upset would be highly entertaining.
Kansas City Chiefs (8-4) at New England Patriots (10-2), Patriots by 3.5. Never root for the Patriots, except when they’re down 25 points late in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI against the Falcons. Go Chiefs.
Denver Broncos (4-8) at Houston Texans (8-4), Texans by 8.5. Things are setting up well for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson to make a playoffs push, so root for his team to keep up their momentum with a win.
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) at Arizona Cardinals (3-8-1), Steelers by 2.5. A Cardinals loss would help their draft positioning, giving them an opportunity to build around electric rookie quarterback Kyler Murray. The Saints don’t need more competition in the NFC, so root for them to win instead.
Los Angeles Chargers (4-8) at Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8), Chargers by 2.5. Has any team disappointed their fans more consistently than the Chargers this year? They were hyped up as Super Bowl contenders in preseason, but now they’re angling for a top-10 draft pick. The Saints will host them next season, so root for a Chargers win today to hurt them tomorrow.
Cincinnati Bengals (1-11) at Cleveland Browns (5-7), Browns by 7.5. LSU Tigers products Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, and Greedy Williams deserve some fun this year. Root for for the Browns to bury the Bengals.
Miami Dolphins (3-9) at New York Jets (4-8), Jets by 5.5. Former Saints linebacker Vince Biegel is crushing it after he was traded to Miami before the season started, leading the Dolphins with 11 quarterback hits. He’s also claimed his first two NFL sacks and has collected 42 combined tackles, becoming a fan favorite along the way. Send him good vibes as he continues through his NFL journey.
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