Saints second straight loss drops odds for first-round bye to 15 percent

The New Orleans Saints were once the favorite to get the first-round bye in the NFC; now, they have just a 15 percent chance to secure the top spot.

According to FiveThirtyEight projections, the New Orleans Saints have a 15 percent chance of securing a first-round bye.

The Aaron Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers, who downed the Saints in Week 3, are the current favorite with a 79 percent chance. The Seahawks, Rams and Buccaneers all have a chance as well albeit extremely slim.

The Saints have the Vikings and Panthers on their schedule still. The Vikings will be playing for their postseason lives as one more loss will likely doom them. As for the Panthers, they’ll likely be giving their all for the sake of a divisional game.

If the Saints are able to defeat both teams and the Packers lose out, the chance is there, but it’s increasingly unlikely despite the Packers having a more difficult remaining schedule anyway. The Packers have Tennessee and Chicago, two formidable foes.

It should also be noted that the Saints will be without superstar wide receiver Michael Thomas for the remainder of the regular season as they try to make a push in the postseason. Deonte Harris and Marquez Callaway have also missed quite a bit of time.

This team has struggled to stay healthy as Drew Brees may have returned, but he’s also not at full strength. Despite winning almost ten straight, the Saints haven’t played dominant football for most of the season, but they have been winning.

Without many key players, they took it to the Chiefs in a 32-29 shootout loss. They proved that they’re good enough to compete with the best of the best, and sadly, their recent struggles will force them to play in Wild Card weekend.

The Saints do, however, have an 18 percent chance to win the Super Bowl, so that number is still encouraging.