What has to happen for the Saints to win the NFC South !
 

Currently the Saints are 8-3 and the Falcons 9-2. If the Saints win out and the Falcons only loss is to the Saints then they each end up 13-3.
They would have beaten each other once and their Division and Conference records would be the same. The next tiebreaker is common opponents and the Saints loss to Arizona gives it to the Falcons. So along with the Saints beating the Falcons we will need them to loss one of the other 4 games. Those are at Tampa, at Carolina, at Seattle, Carolina at Home. It looks like the best chance for a Falcons loss would be this weekend at Tampa. Chances of a loss to Seattle or Carolina I think would be slim. Of course this is the NFL and anything can happen but if the Falcons can lose one of those games not only would we win the Division if we win out we could also lose to either Cincinnati or Baltimore and still win the division because our Conference record would be better. I think the Saints could still make it to the Super Bowl as a 5th seed but a 1st or 2nd seed would be a much better position. So lets cheer hard this weekend for the Buc's.

When we played the SHawks two weeks ago they were leading the west. Tampa isn't going to roll over for them this week or for us at the end of the season. We can't stumble at all and we need the ball to bounce away from Atlanta. This is just the crazy year for it. Winning this 2nd Superbowl should put the universe back in alignment.

actually if TB can beat Atlanta this weekend we could lose 1 of these 3 games. Cincinnati,St Louis or Baltimore. But we can't lose to Atlanta or
Tampa no matter what.

Blount!

Im not real worried if we get top seed at all. Last year was the first time sense 1993 that 2 #1 seeds met in a Superbowl.

""Home field advantage in the NFL playoffs may not be what it is all cracked up to be. Earning the top seed in your conference and playing two home games to get to the Super Bowl sounds easy enough but before this season it has not happened in both the AFC and NFC in the same year since 1993."""

Super Bowl Number One Seeds - No. 1 Seed Matching Up in Super Bowl

Winning top seed in the NFL might be temping fate, twice. Usually the top seeds do not survive the post season or go on to lose the Superbowl.

Release » Top Seeds

I might feel better about our chances of getting our second Lombardi, if we are #1 wildcard at this point instead of top seed.
We can do that with a 11-5 record.

That means if we lose to the Ravens and someone else, we would still remain a wildcard , and funny enough statistically, have a better chance of winning another Superbowl,lol

If we don't win the division, I hope Atlanta is the best team going in. This way when we win the Wild Card game we will play them next and it will be in a warm dome. We don't want to go to Chicago, Green Bay or NYG until we have to. Maybe we can go beat Seatle in their dome after we beat the Falcons.

FF

Only one problems with that thought process:

Wild cards this year will have to go to Chicago, Green Bay, New York, or Philly in the middle of January. I was in attendance at the 2006 NFC championship game in Chicago. It's not something I would ever wish on our team.

3 of the 5 games that the Clowns have left have significant meaning to the opposing team. The other two are division games where sometimes you get bit (witness the Saints and the 2nd TB game last year as an example). All it takes is a couple of inopportune turnovers, or a back to get hot, for a game to go South for a good team. Witness the Saints vs. the Cards just a few weeks ago as an example.

I'm not ready to crown the Clowns as the best team in the NFL. By virtually all rights our current roles should be reversed. Idiot kicker!

SFIAH

Not trying to be a smartass (it just happens naturally), but Seattle no longer plays in a dome. And the guy upstairs who went home to Seattle for Thanksgiving said it was 15 degrees up there.

Opps... I still rather pay Seattle though. :doh:

What do we have to do to win the division? Simple.......go 13-3!

thats going to be the only way!

One game at a time, we take them all down and return to our rightful position for a TWO DAT! World Champions!

the defensive front 4 have to get better. They are being handled in the first half of the bengals game so far

Ravens will be a tough out ... but you have to beat the best to be the best. So does it really matter?

Going 13 - 3 will not get it done. If the Falcons end up 13 - 3 they get the tiebreaker. Now we need the Falcons to lose to Seattle or one of the Carolina games and of course to us. The only game the Saints can afford to lose now is the Baltimore game. And they may need that game to make sure they get the wildcard.

I was wrong, the Saints cannot afford any loss. The second tiebreaker is common opponents not conference record. So a loss to Baltimore would not be good because the Falcons beat Baltimore. Saints have to win last 4and along with a loss to the Saints the Falcons need to lose to Carolina or Seattle.

If the second tiebreaker is common opponents, didn't the Falcons loose to Pittsburgh? We destroyed Pittsburgh!

Just make it to the playoffs one game at a time. Two dat.

We have to play sound and the Falcons wheels have to fall off.

Yes, they did. BUT they beat both the Cardinals and the Browns, so they hold that tiebreaker. We beat one team that beat them, they beat two teams that beat us.

I believe their other loss was to Chicago, whom we don't play in the regular season.

Not looking good for the division title this year. Still, anything can happen. First thing first, lets hope the Saints don't go into a slump right now, get the playoffs secured then hope for some major help.

It's the third tiebreaker. After head to head and division record but before conference record. Not a bad argument since two teams in a division has 12 common opponents each year.

All it really takes is one loss of the 'clowns against the Panthers in either of the two tries to send them down the tubes. Here are the scenarios:

1) Saints win out, 'clowns only lose to Saints.
'Clowns win the division:
Overall Record: 13-3 each
Head to head record: 1-1 each
Division record: 5-1 each (one loss to each other)
Common opponents: 'clowns 11-1 (loss to Pittsburg) Saints 10-2 (loss to Browns and Cards)

2)Saints Win out, 'clowns lose one to Panthers or Seattle:
Saints win the division:
Overall Record: Saints 13-3 'Clowns 12-4

3) Saints lose to Baltimore, win others, 'clowns lose one to Panthers
Saints win the division:
Overall Record: 12-4 each
Head to Head: 1-1
Division Record: Saints 5-1 'Clowns 4-2

4) Saints lose to Baltimore, win others, 'clowns lose one to Seattle
Saints win the division:
Overall Record: 12-4 each
Head to Head: 1-1
Division Record: 5-1 each
Common opponents: 10-2 each
Conference Record: Saints 10-2 'Clowns 9-3

5) Saints lose to Rams, win others, 'clowns lose one to Panthers
Saints win the division:
Overall record: 12-4 each
Head to Head: 1-1
Division Record: Saints 5-1 Clowns 4-2

6) Saints lose to Rams, win others, 'clowns lose one to Seattle
'Clowns win the division
Overall record: 12-4 each
Head to Head: 1-1
Division Record: 5-1 each
Common opponents: 'Clowns 10-2, Saints 9-3

So the bottom line is that the Baltimore game is probably the single game we can afford to drop. Division, Common, or Conference losses (TB, Rams, 'Clowns) sends the whole ship down the tubes. OTOH the Panthers are our best buds for the moment. Maybe they will "Rise UP!" (I hate that commercial!)

Here are the tiebreakers:

NFL Tie-Breaking Procedures

SFIAH

Philly, not Chicago. Their NFC North partner for the year was the Packers while we got the Vikings. That's the non shared opponent in that division. In the East the 'clowns got Philly (who they lost to) while we got Dallas.

SFIAH

Thanks, I wasn't sure and I was too lazy to look it up. :)

SFIATLH - You get the prize. That's some serious crunching. I want to sit next to you in class.

Great post you are correct. A falcons loss to the panthers either time would allow us to lose to either Baltimore or St Louis provided we win
all of the other games. However the below scenerio is incorrect
the Saints would have a 9 -3 common opponents record if the falcons
lose to Seattle and we lose to Baltimore.

4) Saints lose to Baltimore, win others, 'clowns lose one to Seattle
Saints win the division:
Overall Record: 12-4 each
Head to Head: 1-1
Division Record: 5-1 each
Common opponents: 10-2 each
Conference Record: Saints 10-2 'Clowns 9-3

i believe we get into the playoffs and the magical mojo will get us to the promise land. the clowns have more luck (officials) than they have sense so if we win out or not its pretty much locked were in. and like some post before chances of getting there is better not at the no#1 seed.

SEATTLE, only chance of clowns stumbling

For the record, I knew Carolina wouldn't stand a chance against Fatlanta.

I wanted to root for them, but I knew it would be a huge waste of energy. Let's just hope the Failcants choke the last three games.

Agreed. Only possible loss (other than us) for ATL is Seattle.

Kitties don't even have a meow left this season...

I think it'll take a miracle now.

First off, we have to win all of our remaining games. Thats a tough stretch with St Louis, @ Baltimore, @ Atlanta, and Tampa Bay.

3-1 would be impressive versus that schedule

Atlanta plays Carolina twice, Seattle and New Orleans

I just can not see them going 2-2 with that schedule.

Lets face it, we're a probably a wildcard.

But, it'll be fun becoming only the 3rd team to win a Superbowl as a wildcard, and beating Atlanta in the playoffs is gonna be euphoric.