WhoDat!656

4. New Orleans Saints (11-5)

First game: vs. Panthers in wild-card round on Sunday (4:40 p.m. ET on Fox) | Tickets

Path to Super Bowl LII: The Saints will host the division-rival Panthers, against whom they went 2-0 this season, in their playoff opener. If they win that, they'll travel to either Philadelphia or Minnesota for the divisional round. (If the Falcons beat the Rams, a victorious Saints team would go to Minnesota. If the Rams beat the Falcons, the Saints would go to Philadelphia). Win that game, and the Saints would find themselves in an NFC Championship Game against either the Falcons, Eagles or Vikings. The only way the Saints can play the NFC Championship Game at home is if their opponent is the Falcons.

Reason for hope: They have the best quarterback in the NFC field. Drew Brees might not have had his usual, eye-popping statistical season, but his efficiency was off the charts. And just because the Saints were able to win by running the ball and making a few big plays on defense doesn't mean they can't count on Brees to put them on his back and win them a game when they need him to. He's the only quarterback in the field who has won a Super Bowl.

Reason for concern: There's really not much not to like here, but if you're looking for reason to worry, four of their losses were on the road and four were to playoff teams. However, two of those were in Weeks 1 and 2 to Minnesota and New England, and the Saints obviously didn't have their feet under them yet. They will be more formidable in the Superdome.

X factor: The defense. It's still a young group, and until you see young players under playoff pressure you can't know what to expect. New Orleans' offense is so good and so versatile and so balanced that you feel certain they can score with any team. But can that young Saints defense make a big play to win a playoff game when it needs to?

2017 NFL playoffs preview - Schedule, bracket, paths to Super Bowl LII, matchup possibilities

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."

SaintsBro

After sleeping on it a couple of days after the game's deflating ending, I kinda like the path they have now as #4 seed much better than than the path we would have likely had as a #3. I do not want to play Atlanta again unless it's absolutely necessary, and Minnesota is by far the most "complete" or "full strength" team in the NFC besides the Saints. So I say let the other seeds knock heads and crunch it out, and if the Saints can handle Carolina one more time (Carolina is probably the weakest playoff team of the whole bunch right now, with the most exploitable/obvious flaws, maybe the Eagles but Carolina definitely HAS some weaknesses and known problems with their team, for sure). If they make it past Carolina, then lots of good possibilities open up for the Saints, regardless of the other playoff outcomes.

SmashMouth

hagan714

saints vs the falcons in the dome for the NFC championship game

The Dude

Don’t care who it is, when, or where. Bring it.

73Saint

It's January, and we are still part of the conversation (& to me have as good a chance as any). As Payton said, it's a new season starting now.

Honestly, if I were an impartial observer, as I usually am come playoff time, the Saints would be the team I would pick to win it all.

WillMacKenzie

Dilly dilly!

I honestly wasn’t sure we’d be having this conversation after the first 2 games...now here we are! Time to lay it all out there. No brain farts.

saintsfan1976

Saints travel to Minnesota, only to return two weeks later.