SDSaint

Hello There,

I am just as disappointed as everyone else about this loss but consider the game as a measuring stick of where the team is right now and where we could be headed. The loss is similar to the Denver game where it has been observed that the team is not quite there in the upper ranks of the NFL but there is still some promise that we may yet overcome every obstacle and make it into the playoffs considering the overall situation.

The team has come a long way from 0-4, then 2-5 to where the current record stands at 5-6. Today, we faced a vastly superior defense that made two scoring plays against our offense, so credit is due to the opposition. It did not help that we are down to the bone at the right tackle spot in consecutive weeks where the replacement was thrown into the fire.

The defense gave up many big plays and although it may have helped our chances if the 9 minute drive in the 4th quarter was stopped much earlier, you can see that they did not give up and held them to a field goal. The defense held the opposition to 17 points, so they held their end of the bargain as far as I am concerned.

Even with this loss and 5 more games to go, the season is far from over. In the unlikely but possible case that the team runs the table and goes on a 5-game winning streak, the team is playoff bound. However, even with another loss, we could still sneak in at 9-7.

Our main competition for the last Wild Card spot are as follows:

- Minnesota
- Seattle
- Tampa Bay
- Washington
- New York

There was significant help today with MIN, SEA and TAM losing.

Minnesota and Seattle face a very tough schedule. Minnesota faces formidable Chicago, Green Bay twice and Houston. Seattle has two road games at Chicago and Buffalo, and one more against San Francisco. Seattle may have to play their remaining games without their top two cornerbacks due to the PED infraction. I doubt that Minnesota and Tampa Bay could end up at 9-7.

Tampa Bay must face Denver and Atlanta as well as the Saints as visitors. We must win out against Tampa Bay for the tiebreaker should the teams end up with 9-7 records.

It gets a bit interesting with Washington who is in a similar situation as the Saints. New York currently has the lead in the NFC East but there is a possibility that Washington may win out and could end up with the same record at 9-7 along with New York and win their division. In this scenario, the Redskins and Giants would go to the dance and we would be out even with the same 9-7 record due to the head to head losses. It would be wise to cheer on New York when Washington visits them next week to avoid this situation.

So, it would be OK if we lose another game, there is still a good chance that we make the playoffs. It is preferable to lose against Atlanta more than the Giants but we must take care of business when Tampa Bay visits and win those games that we should at Dallas and against Carolina.

The odds are against us but I like still our chances (even if we lose one more game). Playing the Giants at their home worries me a bit but recall what happened last year and it does not seem like teams are getting their revenge this year.

San Diego Saint