The New Orleans Saints fall short on another comeback attempt. That loss had ramifications on their divisional standings and their playoff standing. The Atlanta Falcons have a full game lead on the NFC South and the Saints find themselves tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Here is how the Saints stack up among their peers:
1
Philadelphia Eagles (10-2)
Despite losing to the San Francisco 49ers, the Eagles retain their spot as the number one seed in the NFC. The Eagles have a big game on the way against the Dallas Cowboys next week.
2
San Francisco 49ers (9-3)
The 49ers knocked off the NFC leading Philadelphia Eagles in dominant fashion. Only one game behind the Eagles, this victory could come into play with tiebreakers. San Francisco has now defeated the other top two teams in the NFC.
3
Detroit Lions (9-3)
Detroit defeated the Saints in Week 13, but a San Francisco victory over the Eagles keeps the Lions as the third seed in the NFC.
4
Atlanta Falcons (6-6)
The Atlanta Falcons has won two games in a row for the first time since the first two weeks of the season. They now hold sole possession of the divisional lead. With that lead, they are gifted the last seed for divisional champs
5
Dallas Cowboys (9-3)
The Dallas Cowboys finally defeated a team with a winning record. Next week, the Cowboys host the Eagles in hopes of taking the divisional lead. It’s clear the fifth seed is reserved for the NFC East second place team.
6
Minnesota Vikings (6-6)
7
Green Bay Packers (6-6)
The Green Bay Packers have pulled off back to back upsets over the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs. The young team is surging upward and have the final playoff spot in the NFC.
8
Los Angeles Rams (6-6)
Don’t look now but the Rams have won three games in a row. They also just hung 36 points on the Cleveland Browns, one of the NFL’s best defenses.
9
Seattle Seahawks (6-6)
The Seahawks are the exact opposite of the Los Angeles Rams. Instead of winning three in a row, Seattle has lost three games in a row. All of those games were against NFC playoff teams.
10
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the second place team in the NFC South and sit outside of the playoffs. There may be a log jam for the last wild card spot, but it seems like the NFC South will only have one playoff team.
11
New Orleans Saints (5-7)
The Saints lost their third game in a row. All of those losses have been against playoff teams just like the Seahawks. New Orleans also drops to third in the NFC South due to a head to head loss to the Buccaneers.
