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    Saints Down to Final Two Games

    Saints and the NFC Playoff Picture: Week 17

    The Saints could have used a win to help them in the NFC Playoff race, but the loss didn't totally hurt them either.

    A win was the desirable outcome for the Saints on Monday Night Football, but given how depleted they were due to COVID-19 and other factors, it's not surprising that they suffered a loss at the hands of the Dolphins. The loss didn't crush New Orleans for their postseason aspirations, but essentially this team has to win the final two games and somewhat hope for some help to get in.

    Here's the NFC Playoff Picture going into Week 17.

    If the NFC Playoffs started today...

    1. Packers (12-3)
    2. Cowboys (11-4)
    3. Rams (11-4)
    4. Buccaneers (11-4)
    5. Cardinals (10-5)
    6. 49ers (8-7)
    7. Eagles (8-7)

    In the Hunt

    • Vikings (7-8)
    • Falcons (7-8)
    • Saints (7-8)
    • Washington (6-9)

    Eliminated

    • Panthers (5-10)
    • Bears (5-10)
    • Seahawks (5-10)
    • Giants (4-11)
    • Lions (2-12-1)

    Relevant Seeding Explained: Vikings have the tie break over the Falcons based on best winning percentage in conference game, while the division tie was used to eliminate the Saints. Atlanta has the head-to-head matchup edge over New Orleans.

    Matchups to watch: The Panthers-Saints game got moved to a late kickoff, so we'll see at least two relevant games ahead of them that mean a lot. The best-case scenario for the Saints is to see the Bills, Football Team, Texans, and Packers all winning, which would put them into the 6th seed. Of course, play around with ESPN's Playoff Machine, as you can simulate scenarios there.

    Early Kicks: Falcons at Bills, Eagles at Washington
    Late Kicks: Texans at 49ers
    Sunday Night Football: Vikings at Packers

    Final Two Games: The only way the Saints can get into the postseason is to get into the 6th or 7th seed. They're going to have to win out and hope that some of these other teams lose. The good news is that there's meaningful implications for playoff positioning in the top seeds, which makes the season finales very important.

    • 49ers: vs. Texans, at Rams
    • Eagles: at Washington, vs. Cowboys
    • Vikings: at Packers, vs. Bears
    • Falcons: at Bills, vs. Saints
    • Saints: vs. Panthers, at Falcons

    Dolphins-Saints Coverage From the Week
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