The New Orleans Saints might be at 2-5 coming out of the bye week and last in the NFC South, but thanks to the nature of the division, they could be right back to the top with a win on Sunday. If they win while every other team loses, they'd be in a tie for first place in the division.
No team in the division has a winning record, which is why one week of results can change the picture of the standings so much. The current leader, the Carolina Panthers, has a thin lead with a 3-4 record and would be the team tied with the Saints if this scenario came true. They'd be the two teams at 3-5, while the Bucs and Falcons would be at 3-6.
But this is only possible if the Saints do their part of the job and take down the Cleveland Browns this Sunday. It's not a given by any means, though, as Cleveland sits at 5-3 and was leading the AFC North before their loss last week. Again, though, a win only covers half of the job, and they'd need the rest of the division to lose if they want a shot to sit atop the totem pole.
The Saints will need the rest of the NFC South to tumble on Sunday
New Orleans would need help from their division rivals this weekend if they want a chance to be in that conversation, and the first domino to fall would be the Panthers, who host the Denver Broncos. In a matchup where Carolina is actually the underdog, they'll need to take down a 6-2 team to prove the odds wrong.
Then the Falcons would need to lose to the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL's first-ever game in Madrid, Spain. Given the fact that they lost to a team that threw for zero yards, Atlanta is naturally the underdog as well heading into the game. Last but not least, Tampa Bay is heading into one of the toughest places to play right now: Soldier Field in primetime, when the Chicago Bears are on a tear.
However, if that really did all come to pass, it would only leave the Saints with a share of first place, meaning that the real work will come in the coming weeks. Most notably, there are five division games remaining, including two against the current first-place team. If New Orleans finds itself near the top at the end of the week, the standings will largely be theirs to settle.
The Saints' next step comes right away, with the Browns coming to town this weekend. But it only starts there, as the next week they'll play the Panthers on Nov. 15. That will be New Orleans' first chance to turn the shared spot into an outright lead.
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