Playoff berth and positioning
 

The NFC South division title may not be important this year. HFA isn't a factor this year due to empty/sparse crowds. What we need to do is make the playoffs and be in position to play the NFC East 'Champ' in the first round. Virtual bye week :D

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That's actually good because it looks like Tampa Bay may get in our way. We still hold the head to head win if it comes down to that.

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Yes and it's somewhat better if the Bucs do well and win the division. The media and sportsbooks will be all over Brady's nutsack, the Bucs will have all the pressure. We can go into the playoffs flying under the radar.

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I wouldn’t count on that, a wild card for the Saints that is. So far, it looks like the North will provide a division winner along with a wild card, same for the West. The East will barely provide a winner. I just don’t see a wild card team coming out of the South, with the way the North and West are playing. Still a lot of football left though, including five more divisional games along with Chicago and SF. Bottom line, I would much prefer the Saints win the division without issues. The hype surrounding the “all-in” year won’t go away, regardless of record. Apparently..., now is the correct time to go “all-in” <sigh>. What happened to the last decade?

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Don't forget there is a 3rd wild card this year. Even though the Saints are out of it at the moment in 8th position, there's still a lot of season to go yet.

SFIAH

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Yeah, was aware of the 7th spot, also aware we are currently 8th, and unfortunately one doinked field goal away from being 11th. 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5, if memory serves, with only the one seed getting a bye. Regardless, “hoping” for a wildcard just isn’t my cup of tea.

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I know play has been somewhat frustrating in the first 5 weeks. But the Saints are really in control of the division at this moment. We are the only team in the division without a division loss, have a head to head so far against the Bradys, and have one less conference loss than the Teddies and Bradys. All of this while tied in the loss column, which is the only column that matters.

So right now the only goal is to maintain the course by taking care of the next game. As the NFC Least proves year after year, winning the division is like two folks trying to get away from a bear: I don't have to run faster than the bear, I just have to run away faster than you.

SFIAH

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At the start of the season I did not believe that Tampa had a chance. It looks like they are a better team with better players and coaching. Nonetheless I like our odds against them. We already beat them once and I'm ready to see it again to win the South.

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Paging Jim Mora.......... " Playoffs?...."

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I don't see the Saints becoming a great team this year, with that said they should still be able to pull out 10-11 wins and compete for a division title. As for the Bucs, I think their offense will slump down the stretch, but that may not matter if their defense keeps it up.

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Injuries will determine a lot, as always.

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Way too early for playoff discussions to have any interest in them. We are in week 7 of 17....

All playoff birth options are in play for any team.

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With only 16 games to make the case, every game is a part of the playoff discussion. With a win over the Bradys week 1, the Saints positioned themselves in a positive place in the division standings. This upcoming game with the Carolina Teddies does the same. A win puts us 2-0 in the division with head to head wins over the closest competitors.

In the conference, we're two games behind Seattle and a game behind the Bears. Even though the Bradys have one more win, we're tied in the loss column and have the head to head advantage with another upcoming game. So a win against the Bears and another win over the Bradys would position the Saints right at the top of the conference.

It's likely that Seattle will come back to the pack having to play in a division with 2, or possibly 3, other playoff capable teams. Starts this week with the Rams.

So with wins over the Bradys, Teddies, and Bears, I'd be rooting for the Bears over the Pack and the rest of the NFC West over the SeaHawks.

All this to say that it's certainly not too early for playoff discussions. It's all about wins and positioning. For now just keep hoping for wins for the Saints and losses for the Pack and SeaHawks.

SFIAH

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Basically, injuries derailed our season the last couple of years. We have the talent to win it all. We just need to be able to put our best players on the field so that they can do their thing and win. Just win baby!:bng:

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I believe that, but DA better quit farting around and guessing crap and make his coaches accountable
(Aaron Glenn ) I complained about his coaching technique in the pass.


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Yea, save your typing brother, I read all of that the first time you posted it. You want to talk about it so enjoy, and for similar reasons as you have stated some people who have nothing better to do talk playoffs after free agency or the first round of the draft. The "ifs" are unlimited at this point and the Saints are not consistent enough to talk playoffs with only 1 Division and 2 Conference games behind us.

Everyone says we are talented enough to win it but I don't see that.

- I see a struggling defensive secondary that is a QBs wet dream because of its propensity for pass interference. One that is led by a mediocre Defensive Coach that has a reputation for changing the defense once a lead is established and then blowing said 20 point lead... constantly.

- The common theme is "if we can only stay healthy".. Well no team gets through a season and wins a SB with their season opening roster 100% in tact. We have talent but in many key positions we do not have "depth of talent". Some times 2 2M players for one position produces better for a season than 1-3.75M and 1-250k player. It isn't sexy but its reliable and consistent.

- Our offense has not found its groove and we get things done in spite of being out of sync. Looking back over the last 10 years, we had more consistent offenses before super stars like Jimmy Graham and Michael Thomas, they were so good that they allowed the rest of the talent to be sub par and created a false confidence in the whole team.

A talented roster on paper doesn't win championships, consistently good play does and we aren't that yet, haven't been for a couple years now.. We lose to crap teams and rookie QBs way too often, almost consistently.

This is why I don't talk playoffs yet. I am not a glass half full or glass half empty person.. I am more of a glass at 50% of its v/v capacity kind of guy and managed to lay all of that out with out guessing if we will win or lose Sunday.:bng:

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It's a completely different discussion once the season has started and is now nearly halfway through For teams like the Fal'cants the season is effectively over with 5 current losses all in the conference. The Saints are not in that position right now.

Like it or not, the next 3 games are essentially playoff games for the Saints. Lose 2 out of three and they are out of the running. Win all three, they are back in the running for the #1 seed no matter how they've played up until now.

It's not just that I want to talk about playoff positioning, which IIRC is the title of this thread, but that in reality we are already there.

SFIAH

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The Niners had more players land on IR (14) in 2019 than us yet they still managed to win the NFC & subsequent Super Bowl invite.

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Exactly. There is a high number of terrible teams in the NFC this year. The entire NFC East, the Vikings and the Falcons, at the minimum, are all already basically out of the way. Carolina and Detroit are not real threats. So presuming we hold up reasonably well, we are already positioning for playoffs. And it's going to be weird this year, for all the teams, because that normally vital push for seeding and HFA is more or less a non-factor this year.

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Damn shame it's only going to take 6 or 7 victories in the NFC East to win the Division.

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Our Saints are only one game out of first place in the conference in the loss column. The offense was methodical this week, using the clock and consistently scoring. We will be at closer to full strength soon, but all we need to do is make it to the playoffs to have a legit chance to win it all again. Hopefully the defense will begin to get more on the same page as they have in recent years. Not sure why it takes so long but they seem to improve in leaps and bounds later in the season.

The loss by Seattle was huge. Our 2-0 divisional record is important. We are in a good position moving forward.

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I'm feeling a little under the weather with the common cold tonight so vegging out and scouting the Bears. Based on the first half they can be had - their OL doesn't seem that good at pass or run-blocking. Their run defense off tackle looks iffy, we can make them pay with Kamara. Just protect the football and we'll be in good shape.