Playoff Picture: 3 ways the Saints can clinch NFC South on Sunday

The New Orleans Saints have already clinched a playoff birth, but they can also clinch the NFC South on Sunday in one of these three ways.

The New Orleans Saints are playoff-bound.

They clinched their way to a playoff berth with their win a couple of weeks ago. However, they still haven’t even clinched their own division which would give them a top-four seed in the NFC side of the playoffs.

The Saints are gearing up to play their hardest game of the season on Sunday against the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and MVP Patrick Mahomes. There are three ways that New Orleans could clinch the NFC South on Sunday.

No. 1 – A New Orleans Saints win

This would be the best solution. Coming off of a horrible loss to the Philadelphia Eagles stings. A win here would not only boost the confidence of the team, but it would also clinch them their division giving them further pride in themselves.

No. 2 – A Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss

The second way is not as likely. The black and gold would need the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to lose. The reason for this is that the Buccaneers at 8-5 are the team that is threatening the Saints for the division lead even if they are two games back.

This week they play the 4-9 Atlanta Falcons. Chances are the Buccaneers will roll past them. According to ESPN Matchup Predictor, they give the Falcons a 35.6 percent chance to beat the team that New Orleans beat twice this year.

No. 3 – A Tampa Bay tie plus a New Orleans tie

The last way is the least likely. The Saints and the Buccaneers would both need to tie their games this week. There has only been one tie this year so far in the game between the Eagles and Bengals back in Week 3.

In roughly 230 games this NFL season so far, there has been one tie. The likelihood that there will be another two in one week is farther than unlikely. However, it is still a way that New Orleans could find their way to clinching the NFC South.