New Orleans Saints: Breaking down the home stretch and predicting the final four
The stretch run
The Saints open up the last quarter of their season coming off a nice 10-day break.
They will need it because they face a San Francisco team that has shown few weaknesses this season. Kyle Shanahan I’m sure remembers the Saints well from his time as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator, so they’ll be prepared for us.
This was not what anyone expected for this season. When doing my preseason picks, I saw this as an easy win. The Niners were expected to be improved, but not to this level. They are a legit contender.
This is a tough one to predict. Everything I’ve seen so far says the Niners are playing better. But my gut says the Saints are a better team, having had more playoff experience and having been playing at a high level over the last 2+ seasons.
For that and because it’s here in New Orleans, I give the Saints the edge.
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The Saints have yet to play a complete game. This is when they ramp up their level and get playoff ready. They know what’s at stake – a loss here means the NFC Championship likely goes out West, and we don’t want that.
After that, the Saints face two teams fighting for their playoff lives. We have a Monday night game against Indianapolis Colts and then face the Tennessee Titans the following Sunday.
The AFC South isn’t decided yet, but the Texans have the advantage. And it also seems there is only one playoff spot to take as the Buffalo Bills sit at 9-3 and are playing very well. It could be by the time we play either of these teams, their fate has been decided.
Either way, the Saints are a superior team to both of them and while they will challenge, I think the Saints will be in playoff prep mode and win both these games.
The last game of the season is on the road at Carolina. This is one of those coin flip games. If the Saints’ playoff seeding has been determined, they may rest starters.
If we have a first-round bye, the starters might only play a small bit then give way to reserves, or not play at all. Carolina is likely not even a wild card contender and they will have an interim coach, so we don’t know their motivation.
If the Saints do like last season, the last game will be relatively inconsequential and a meaningless loss there could occur. It’s hard to predict that one this far out.
But I’ll stick with 3-1.
Wins in the first three games keep us in the driver’s seat. We need to beat San Francisco first and foremost.
Seattle and San Francisco don’t meet again until the season finale, so unless Seattle trips up on the Rams, Panthers, or Cardinals in the next three weeks, the Saints may need to play the season out for the advantage of home field throughout the playoffs.
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It’s a lot to digest, but we are fortunate that the Saints are in the thick of the race and have already clinched the NFC South for the third consecutive year.