The Saints blew a golden opportunity in Week 13 to get back into the playoff race

For as bad as this season has been for the New Orleans Saints, they entered Week 13 with some momentum, and a chance to really jump back in the playoff race. New Orleans ultimately suffered its eighth loss, losing a winnable game against the Los Angeles Rams. The Saints aren’t technically eliminated from the playoff race, but they did fumble a golden opportunity to close ground.

While New Orleans was starting its game against the Rams, the Atlanta Falcons, who sit atop the NFC South, were finishing up a game against the other L.A. team. The Falcons lost to the Los Angeles Chargers 17-13, falling to 6-6. It was an all around bad day for the Falcons, as Kirk Cousins threw four interceptions.

Now, Atlanta has lost three straight games, and after separating from the rest of the NFC South, the Falcons’ recent collapse has made the division race tight again. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers miraculously escaped with a 26-23 overtime win against the Carolina Panthers, so the Bucs are also 6-6 now.

With better execution on Sunday, the Saints could be 5-7 right now, one game behind Tampa Bay and Atlanta, with five games left in the regular season, including a matchup against the Buccaneers. Instead, New Orleans threw another game away and are sitting at 4-8.

Still, because of the underwhelming seasons the other NFC South teams are having, New Orleans is very much still alive. The path is certainly tougher now after the recent loss, but with how Atlanta and Tampa Bay has looked the last month, everything is still on the table.

Unfortunately, a miraculous late-season run for the Saints seems unlikely, because not much has gone the team’s way this season. It’s even being reported that Taysom Hill has a season-ending knee injury. So while the Falcons are doing everything possible to leave the door open, the Saints probably won’t have what it takes to get through the door.

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