The New Orleans Saints kept their playoff hopes alive a little longer by knocking off the Cleveland Browns this week, but their odds are still very slim: according to FiveThirtyEight’s projections, the Saints have just a 6% chance of making the playoffs this season with their 6-9 record.
But there’s one important game left to play in Week 16’s slate, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traveling to face the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night (kickoff is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC). The Buccaneers have a slim lead on the NFC South division title, but their 6-8 record makes that lead tenuous at best.
If Tom Brady’s team wins on Sunday night and improves to 7-8, the Saints are not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs — but their odds fall to 4% at FiveThirtyEight. But if the Buccaneers lose and fall to 6-9 themselves, New Orleans gets a big boost, moving into a three-way tie with the Bucs and Carolina Panthers (though Tampa Bay owns the tiebreaker) with a 15% shot at reaching the postseason. And in the unlikely event of a tie, the Saints still benefit from the Buccaneers’ 6-8-1 record with playoff odds of 14%.
So root for a Bucs loss or tie on Sunday night. That’s probably unlikely with Arizona starting third-string quarterback Trace McSorley in this game, but Tampa Bay has been far from special this year. At times they’ve even looked vulnerable. Maybe the Saints can finally catch a break. Stranger things have happened, right?
