New Orleans Saints: Final seeding probability going into Week 17

NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 22: Taysom Hill #7 of the New Orleans Saints passes the ball on a fourth down attempt against the Tennessee Titans during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. New Orleans defeats Tennessee 38-28. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

1 of 4

(Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /

With one week left the division and a playoff birth already clinched, the New Orleans Saints have a shot to finish in each of the division’s top three spots

The New Orleans Saints needed a win against the Tennessee Titans to keep their hopes alive for a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NFC side of the NFL playoffs. They got that win. However, they also needed Green Bay, San Francisco, and Seattle to lose their games besides their records were tied.

Green Bay torched the Minnesota Vikings 23-10. San Francisco squeezed out a win against the Los Angeles Rams 34-31. Two big hits, however, there was one bright side. The most unlikely outcome happened – the Arizona Cardinals upset the Seahawks 27-13 in dramatic fashion.

With those outcomes in mind, heading into week 17, the No. 1 seed is the San Francisco 49ers. The No. 2 seed is the Green Bay Packers and the No. 3 seed is the New Orleans Saints. Again, we are back in a position where we need teams to lose in week 17.

We will break down the probability of the New Orleans Saints to finish in each of the top three seeds with one game left in the season. Let this be clear, however, they are strictly statistic projections based on the ESPN Power Index potential to win.

There are a plethora of variables that could play a part in changing each of these statistics. These are our best bet based on the numbers on where the New Orleans Saints will fall into the NFC playoff race. (We did use probability metrics to secure our guesses.)