A year has passed since Dennis Allen’s team got defeated at Raymond James Stadium, but the New Orleans Saints (7-8) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) are primed for a rematch that feels strikingly familiar.
Once again, the Saints’ playoff hopes are on the line when they kick off. A loss or tie to the same Buccaneers team that beat them 26-9 in October would eliminate New Orleans from the NFC South title race and clinch the division for Tampa Bay. Allen and his squad cannot afford to lose this game and keep selling fans a vision for a home playoff game.
What about the seventh NFC playoff seed? The Saints won’t be eliminated from that just by losing to the Bucs, but they’re already long shots, and a couple of other games’ results could take it off the board if they do come up short. If the Saints lose or tie this week, a Los Angeles Rams win or tie (who are visiting the New York Giants) as well as a Seattle Seahawks win or tie (they’re hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers) would knock out New Orleans.
So if you want to see the Saints advance to the postseason, like the players and coaches and team executives in the front office, here’s what you need to root for:
- Saints win over Buccaneers (loss clinches NFC South for Tampa Bay)
- Rams loss vs. Giants (Los Angeles win plus Seattle win plus Saints loss or tie eliminates New Orleans from playoffs)
- Seahawks loss at Steelers (Seattle win plus Los Angeles win eliminates New Orleans from playoffs)
To put it more simply, a Saints loss plus a Rams win/tie and a Seahawks win/tie would eliminate New Orleans altogether.
It’s the most important game of the year after we said the same thing last week, when Allen’s crew fell flat on their face against Los Angeles (a well-coached wild-card team that’s gunning for the postseason themselves). There’s nothing to play for but pride if the Saints lose on Sunday. Let’s hope they at least express the sense of urgency that should come with that.
