🤯 Can the New Orleans Saints Actually Make the Playoffs? Your 'Straight-Up' Guide to a Gridiron Miracle 🏈
Listen up, fam! We gotta talk about the New Orleans Saints and this whole "making the playoffs" jazz. Right now, if you're checking the standings (and trust me, we are), it feels like trying to find a decent parking spot in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras—next to impossible. They're sitting down there in the NFC South cellar with a record of 2-8 as of Week 10. That’s rough, buddy. That’s like eating a beignet without powdered sugar. A true tragedy. But hey, this is the NFL! It's wilder than a swamp gator at a jazz funeral! There’s always a sliiiiiight sliver of a chance. So, let’s break down the Herculean, Mount Everest-climbing, totally bonkers path they gotta walk to even sniff the postseason. Get ready for some high-octane, hilarious, and ultimately painful truth.
Step 1: The NFC South Slayage: Gotta Go Full Terminator
If the Saints want to make the dance, they absolutely, positively, must win their division. Forget the Wild Card; they’re so far back in the NFC landscape they'd need a telescope to see the seventh seed. The NFC South is their only real ticket, and right now, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3) are rocking the crown, with the Carolina Panthers (5-5) hanging tight. The Saints are 1-1 in the division, which is... a start?
 |
| Can The New Orleans Saints Get Into The Playoffs |
1.1 Dominate the Division
Look, there are still a few divisional games left on the schedule: the Atlanta Falcons twice and the Buccaneers and Panthers once more each. These are not suggestions; these are holy mandates. The Saints need to channel the spirit of every legendary New Orleans chef and cook up a divisional sweep. Going 4-0 in those remaining divisional matchups is the bare minimum. Anything less, and you might as well start planning that early vacation. Seriously, if you drop an NFC South game, you can just exit stage left.
Tip: Don’t skip the small notes — they often matter.
1.2 Beat the Teams You’re Supposed to Beat (and Maybe a Few You Aren't)
The schedule is a mix of "yeah, we can do that" games and "oh snap, we’re toast" matchups. They still have to play the Miami Dolphins (2-7), New York Jets (2-7), and Tennessee Titans (1-8). These are the so-called "gimme" games, but let's be real, the Saints have already lost to a bunch of teams they shouldn't have. They need to go on an insane, winning streak. A 7-0 run to finish the season would put them at 9-8. That's a winning record! It's a huge ask, but it's the only way they don't get stuck in the NFL basement with the other sad sacks.
Step 2: The Quarterback Conundrum and Offensive Overhaul
Let's not dance around it: the offense has been kinda 'meh,' even with rookie QB Tyler Shough showing a few flashes. If we're going for a miracle run, the quarterback situation has to go from "cautiously optimistic" to "certified game-changer."
2.1 Rookie QB Goes Ballistic
Tyler Shough needs to stop playing like a rookie who is figuring things out and start playing like a future Hall of Famer who's just angry. We're talking about a complete 180. He needs to throw less of those "what was that?" interceptions and more of the laser-beam touchdowns to Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson. The running game, led by Alvin Kamara, has to get back to being a top-tier threat to take pressure off the kid. We need that classic Saints offense where the ball moves like water flowing down the Mississippi River.
QuickTip: Don’t ignore the small print.
2.2 The Defense Needs to be "Lights Out"
The defense has been the slightly less tragic part of the team, but they've been bending more than a yoga instructor on a Friday morning. If they're gonna pull off a winning streak, the D-line needs to generate pressure that makes opposing QBs question their life choices. We need turnovers, sacks, and stoppage power in the red zone. Demario Davis needs to be everywhere, wearing a cape and saving the day like a superhero who runs a tackle shop. This ain't a suggestion; this is the engine of a long-shot playoff push.
Step 3: The "Help Me, Rhonda" Scenario: Needing Other Teams to Choke
This is where the Saints’ destiny is no longer in their own hands. Even if they run the table (going 7-0 to finish 9-8), they need their NFC South rivals to hit a serious, high-speed patch of bad luck.
3.1 The Buccaneers Need to Fall Off a Cliff
Tip: Slow down when you hit important details.
 |
Tampa Bay is currently sitting pretty at 6-3. For the Saints to win the division at 9-8, the Bucs can only afford to win three more games, finishing 9-8 or worse. That means they need to lose games to teams like the Rams, Chiefs, and even those pesky Carolina Panthers again. It’s gotta be a full-scale collapse—a classic NFC South late-season meltdown.
3.2 The Panthers' Jitters
The Panthers are right there at 5-5. If the Saints are going 9-8, Carolina needs to stumble and finish at 8-9 or worse. A couple of losses to non-division rivals (hello, Eagles and Commanders!) plus losing their final matchup with the Saints would seal their doom. We're talking about chaos, pure unadulterated football mayhem!
Conclusion: A Long Shot Worth Rooting For
Can the New Orleans Saints make the playoffs? Technically, yes. Their current playoff odds are so low that they’re practically in the Mariana Trench, but until that big 'E' for eliminated appears next to their name, there’s a chance. It requires a flawless run from a rookie QB, a defense playing like they stole something, and the rest of the NFC South taking an extended, unscheduled nap. It’s a ridiculous, laugh-out-loud scenario, but isn’t that what makes football so much fun? Go get 'em, boys! Who Dat?!
Tip: Read mindfully — avoid distractions.
FAQ Questions and Answers
How can the Saints make the playoffs as a Wild Card team?
Making it as a Wild Card is extremely unlikely, almost impossible at this point (2-8 record). They would need to win almost all their remaining games and have about five or six other NFC teams currently in the hunt suffer monumental losing streaks. Their sole focus must be winning the NFC South division.
What is the most important game left on the Saints' schedule?
The most important game is arguably the Week 14 matchup at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Winning that game is crucial for winning the head-to-head tiebreaker against the current division leader.
How many wins does a team usually need to win the NFC South?
Historically, the NFC South has been a weak division. While a typical playoff team in the NFL usually needs 10-11 wins, the NFC South champion has recently snuck in with as few as 7, 9, or 10 wins. The Saints' path at 9-8 is a plausible (though improbable) division-winner record.
What are the Saints’ current biggest weaknesses that are hurting their playoff chances?
Their biggest weaknesses are offensive inconsistency (especially with the turnover rate and new QB) and a defense that, while talented, has failed to consistently close out games or force enough timely turnovers against high-powered opponents.
What needs to happen for the Saints to finish with a winning record?
To finish with a winning record (9-8), the Saints, currently at 2-8, need to win 7 of their final 7 games. That's a must-do to even have a conversation about the division title.
 |
